Fuel exhaustion Accident Beechcraft A36 Bonanza N410BC,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 192042
 
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Date:Saturday 17 December 2016
Time:16:07
Type:Silhouette image of generic BE36 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Beechcraft A36 Bonanza
Owner/operator:Private
Registration: N410BC
MSN: E-1606
Year of manufacture:1979
Engine model:Continental IO-520 Series
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Category:Accident
Location:West of Rodeo Acres Drive, Flagler County, FL -   United States of America
Phase: Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:Private
Departure airport:Deland, FL (KDED)
Destination airport:Eustis, FL (X55)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
The private pilot reported that he was returning to his home airport and was practicing maneuvers at 1,200 ft. The left fuel tank ran dry, and the engine experienced a total loss of power. He stated that his normal procedure was to exhaust the fuel in one tank before switching to the other tank. He attempted to restart the engine after switching to the right tank, which, he stated, held 40 gallons of fuel. The engine would not restart, so he conducted a forced landing in a field. After touchdown, the landing gear collapsed, and the airplane nosed down into the ground.
Examination of the fuel system revealed that the left wing was substantially damaged and that the left wing fuel tank was breached. The right wing had minimal damage, and the right wing fuel tank was undamaged. No fuel was found in either fuel tank, and the wing tank selector handle was found in the “off” position. Examination of the engine and airframe did not reveal any evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Blood was drawn from the pilot about 1 hour after the accident, and it tested positive for 0.177 gm/dl of alcohol. At the time of the accident, the pilot’s alcohol level was likely at or above 0.185 gm/dl, which is considered impairing. The pilot’s impairment by alcohol before and during the flight likely led to his improper fuel mismanagement and the subsequent loss of engine power.

Probable Cause: The pilot's impairment by alcohol before and during the flight, which led to his improper fuel management and resulted in fuel exhaustion and a subsequent loss of engine power.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: ERA17LA070
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 2 years and 3 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB

FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=410BC

Location

Images:


Photo: FAA

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
18-Dec-2016 01:00 Geno Added
18-Dec-2016 01:21 Geno Updated [Registration, Cn, Operator, Source, Narrative]
18-Dec-2016 13:09 Anon. Updated [Damage]
10-Apr-2019 12:36 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative, Accident report, ]
10-Apr-2019 13:17 harro Updated [Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Photo]

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