Accident Beechcraft 35-B33 Debonair N8519M,
ASN logo
ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 287262
 
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information. If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.

Date:Saturday 17 November 2012
Time:00:05 LT
Type:Silhouette image of generic BE33 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Beechcraft 35-B33 Debonair
Owner/operator:Westchester Flying Club
Registration: N8519M
MSN: CD-628
Total airframe hrs:11298 hours
Engine model:Continental IO-520
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Category:Accident
Location:White Plains, New York -   United States of America
Phase: Approach
Nature:Executive
Departure airport:Tarentum, PA (9G1)
Destination airport:White Plains-Westchester County Airport, NY (HPN/KHPN)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
On final approach for landing, the pilot observed that the airplane was high, and he performed a slip in order to lose altitude. During the maneuver, the engine lost power, and the pilot performed a forced landing to a parking lot. Postaccident examination revealed the fuel selector switch was in the off position; however, the pilot said that, after the accident, he turned the fuel selector from an unknown position to OFF and that he could not recall the prior position. The examination also found that the right wing fuel tank contained about 14 gallons of fuel, and the left tank was empty. Although the left wing tank was ruptured during impact, no evidence of fuel leakage or odor was found at the site. The airplane was equipped with a non-standard engine and propeller and did not have a Supplemental Type Certificate for the installation. Further, the pilot did not have fuel consumption information for the current engine-propeller installation; thus, the pilot likely misjudged the fuel consumption for the flight. It is likely that the fuel selector was positioned to the left tank, which had become very low on fuel. The slip maneuver aggravated the low fuel condition of the left wing fuel tank, and the airplane was starved of fuel, which resulted in the loss of engine power. Additionally, the pilot's failure to utilize the auxiliary fuel pump per the pilot operating handbook during air start most likely prevented the engine from restarting. Postaccident examination revealed no anomalies that would have precluded the normal operation of the airplane or engine components.

Probable Cause: The pilot's improper fuel management and his excessive slip maneuver, which led to fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power, and his failure to activate the electric boost pump during the attempted engine restart.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: ERA13LA060
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 8 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB ERA13LA060

Location

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
04-Oct-2022 09:08 ASN Update Bot Added

Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description

The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:

CONNECT WITH US: FSF on social media FSF Facebook FSF Twitter FSF Youtube FSF LinkedIn FSF Instagram

©2024 Flight Safety Foundation

1920 Ballenger Av, 4th Fl.
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
www.FlightSafety.org