Beechcraft D35 N2991B

Summary

On 4 December 2015 at about 21:15 local time, a Beechcraft D35 registered N2991B was involved in an accident near Vine Grove, Kentucky, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 December 2015 at 21:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Vine Grove, Kentucky, United States

Nearest airport

Vine Grove (70KY)

Coordinates

37.8158, -85.9647

Aircraft

Beechcraft D35

Registration

N2991B

Category

Airplane

Year built

1953

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Vine Grove → Vine Grove

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA16LA062

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to ensure that the fuel selector was properly positioned before takeoff, which resulted in the subsequent total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot reported that, when he departed for the personal flight, there were 15 gallons of fuel in each of the wing fuel tanks. During the initial climb, the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power. Subsequently, the pilot performed an emergency off-airport landing. During the landing, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, wings, and firewall. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The right fuel tank was breached, and an undetermined amount of fuel was noted in the left fuel tank. About 1 gallon of fuel was drained from the auxiliary fuel tank drain valve. Although the pilot stated that he did not remember which fuel tank he had selected before takeoff, given the airplane's fuel state that he reported before takeoff and the fuel observed in the airplane postaccident, it is likely that the pilot mistakenly departed with the fuel selector positioned to the auxiliary fuel tank, which according to the manufacturer, was to be used only during level flight and not for takeoff or landing and that this resulted in the subsequent total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.