ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 348009
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| Date: | Saturday 30 April 2022 |
| Time: | 14:00 LT |
| Type: |  Beechcraft A36 Bonanza |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N47JB |
| MSN: | E3207 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1998 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 1630 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental IO-550-B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Blanket, Texas -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Greenville-Majors Field, TX (GVT/KGVT) |
| Brownwood Airport, TX (BWD/KBWD) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot reported that he departed with 'just over half a tank of fuel in each tank,' which matched the indications on the fuel gauges. He reported that he decided not to 'top off' the fuel tanks for the flight of about one hour and twenty-minutes as he had about 40 gallons of fuel on board. The pilot reported that the takeoff and en route portions of the flight were normal. As the airplane descended to 6,000 ft above mean seal level, and with the destination airport in sight, the engine lost power. The pilot 'immediately pulled the yoke back to best glide, selected a grass field for the landing, and began the engine out checklist. The pilot reported that he switched fuel tanks during the engine out procedure. After he completed the checklist twice, with no success at restarting the engine, he maneuvered the airplane and performed a forced landing to a field. During the forced landing, the nose gear collapsed, and the right wing sustained substantial damage.
During a postaccident examination, no fuel was found in the right fuel tank and about 5.5 gallons of fuel was found in the left fuel tank (per the airframe manufacturer, 3 gallons in each fuel tank is classified as unusable). Both fuel tanks were found intact, along with the airframe and engine fuel lines. Both fuel tank caps appeared normal and were found installed properly. There was no evidence of a fuel leak or spillage on the airframe or at the accident site. There were no odors of fuel at the accident site. The fuel tank selector was found at the right fuel tank position. The fuel line to the fuel pressure regulator and the fuel injection distribution manifold was opened and there was no visible fuel found in the line.
The investigation could not determine the amount of fuel onboard before the accident flight. Based on the available evidence, it is likely the engine lost power due to the low level of fuel available in the right fuel tank due to the pilot's improper fuel management.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to properly manage fuel while enroute, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation and a subsequent forced landing.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB CEN22LA189
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 16-Nov-2023 13:07 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
| 16-Nov-2023 13:14 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Other fatalities, Phase, Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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