Beechcraft N35 N9368Y

Summary

On 12 September 2017 at about 18:35 local time, a Beechcraft N35 registered N9368Y was involved in an accident near South Bend, Indiana, United States. 2 people were 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

12 September 2017 at 18:35

Classification

Accident

Location

South Bend, Indiana, United States

Nearest airport

South Bend International Airpo (SBN)

Coordinates

41.7083, -86.3172

Aircraft

Beechcraft N35

Registration

N9368Y

Category

Airplane

Year built

1960

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Olathe → South Bend

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN17LA348

Nobody was injured.

The improperly seated fuel cap, which resulted in an in-flight fuel leak and 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 commercial pilot reported that the airplane was nearing the destination at the conclusion of a long cross-country flight when the engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot declared an emergency and conducted a forced landing to a highway. During the forced landing, the airplane struck an elevated island and a car and was substantially damaged. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed blue-colored fuel stains streaking from the right wing fuel filler aft to the trailing edge of the right wing flap. The right fuel tank contained 1 cup of fuel and the left fuel tank had about 10 gallons of fuel. The fuel cap and seat were unremarkable. An examination of the engine and remaining systems revealed no anomalies. It is likely that the right fuel cap was not seated properly before takeoff, which resulted in the siphoning of the fuel during the flight, and a subsequent total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.