Beechcraft V35 N3958A

Summary

On 24 September 2020 at about 18:50 local time, a Beechcraft V35 registered N3958A was involved in an accident near Terrell, Texas, 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

24 September 2020 at 18:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Terrell, Texas, United States

Coordinates

32.7879, -96.0931

Aircraft

Beechcraft V35

Registration

N3958A

Category

Airplane

Year built

1970

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Justin → Wills Point

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN20LA420

Nobody was injured.

Fuel starvation due to a fuel system leak, which resulted in a loss of engine power and the subsequent forced landing on unsuitable terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he performed a preflight inspection of the airplane that included “physical fuel level inspection in each wing with [a] flashlight.” He checked both wing fuel sumps and drained the fuel sump twice on the left side. Additionally, he sampled the fuel in the belly fuel sump and then secured its door. About 30 minutes after departure, when the airplane was about 2,200 ft mean sea level, the engine lost power. The pilot switched the selector from the left fuel tank to the right fuel tank. However, the engine did not respond, and he performed a forced landing, during which the airplane impacted trees and terrain, resulting in substantial damage to both wings, the fuselage, and the empennage. An initial on-site examination of the airplane revealed the right wing contained fuel and the left wing was compromised from impact damage. Further examination revealed the engine sustained damage and could not be test run. However, no preimpact engine anomalies were detected that would affect normal engine operation. The fuselage fuel gascolator was removed. Its fuel screen was clear of debris or contaminants. However, a blue stain consistent with the color of 100 low-lead aviation gasoline was observed both on the exterior of the bowl and top of the unit. Given the stain on the outside of the gascolator, it is likely that a leak in at the gascolator allowed air to enter and fuel starvation to occur, which resulted in the loss of engine power and subsequent forced landing.  

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.