Beechcraft 77 N3873Y

Summary

On 12 August 2021 at about 17:00 local time, a Beechcraft 77 registered N3873Y, operated by Gillett Drew A, was involved in an accident near Stanley, New Mexico, 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

12 August 2021 at 17:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Stanley, New Mexico, United States

Nearest airport

Double Eagle Ii (AEG)

Coordinates

35.1678, -105.9687

Aircraft

Beechcraft 77

Registration

N3873Y

Category

Airplane

Year built

1981

Engines

1

Operator

Gillett Drew A

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Albuquerque → Borger

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR21LA316

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine performance due to lead fouling of the lower spark plugs, which resulted in an off airport forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot departed an airport at an elevation about 5,800 ft mean sea level (msl), and reported that, upon reaching about 6,700 ft msl, the airplane would not continue to climb. The pilot performed a forced landing to a field, during which the right wing impacted a fence post, resulting in substantial damage. Examination of the engine revealed that all lower spark plugs were severely lead fouled. According to the manufacturer, severely lead fouled spark plugs can lead to misfiring, resulting in a degradation of engine performance. It is likely that the fouled spark plugs resulted in a loss of engine performance and the airplane’s subsequent inability to maintain altitude.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.