20000917014019A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Beech H35 · Wagoner, OK · September 17, 2000

Date
September 17, 2000 · 18:00 local
Place
Wagoner, OK
Airport
Wagoner Airstrip Airport
Phase of flight
Takeoff Ground Roll
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N5448D
NTSB investigation
NTSBFTW00LA264
Reported as
Beech H35
Reported engine
Continental IO470N
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
1,071 total971 in this make and model

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) Pilot departed Wagoner airport and flew around the local area performing several touch and go landings. On the last touch and go the engine quit after retracting the landing gear. The pilot elected to attempt a gear up emergency landing on rwy overrun area. The a/c touched down in the grass 97 yards from the end of the runway 17, skidding 69 yards, where it went through a barbed wire fence, then skidding an additional 42 yards across state highway 51 and coming to a rest in a bar ditch against a barbed wire fence on teh sough side of highway 51. The pilot stated that on a final approach he switched the fuel from the auxiliary tanks to the left main. A visual inspection of both the left and right auziliary tanks indicated that only a residual amount of fuel remained in the bottom of the tanks. A visual inspection of both main tanks indicated that both tanks were full. The fuel gauges indicated that both auziliary tanks were empty and the main tanks were full. (.4)on September 17, 2000, at 1800 central daylight time, a Beech H35 airplane, N5448D, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power at the Wagoner municipal airport, Wagoner, Oklahoma. The private pilot, who was the registered owner and operator of the airplane, and his two passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the 14 code of federal regulations part 91 personal flight and a flight plan was not filed. The local flight originated from the Wagoner municipal airport at 1715.according to the pilot, the flight departed from runway 17 and remained in the traffic pattern executing touch-and-go landings. During an approach to the runway, he switched the fuel selector from the auxiliary tanks to the left main tank. The airplane touched down and he then "reconfigured" the airplane for takeoff. The airplane departed, the landing gear was retracted, and while climbing through 75 feet AGL, the engine lost total power. The pilot attempted to re-start the engine, but the engine did not re-start. During the ensuing forced landing, to the runway overrun area, the airplane contacted a barbed wire fence, crossed over a state highway, and came to rest upright in a ditch. The pilot added that the boost pump was "still running," after the airplane came to a stop. According to the FAA inspector, who examined the airplane at the site, the empennage was twisted and both propeller blades, 7 inches inboard from the blade-tip, were bent back 90 degrees. He stated that, when he looked in each of the airplane's fuel tanks, he observed that the auxiliary fuel tanks were empty and the main fuel tanks were full. He added that the cockpit fuel selector was in the left main tank position and that a sample of fuel from the left main fuel tank was "clear and free of contaminants." In the NTSB form 6120.1/2, pilot/operator aircraft accident report, in the section "recommendation (how could this accident have been prevented)," the pilot stated the following; "select the fullest tank long before final and touchdown and confirm [fuel] selector handle is in detent on fullest tank."

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT DEPARTED WAGONER AIRPORT AND FLEW AROUND THE LOCAL AREA PERFORMING SEVERAL TOUCH AND GO LANDINGS. ON THE LAST TOUCH AND GO THE ENGINE QUIT AFTER RETRACTING THE LANDING GEAR. THE PILOT ELECTED TO ATTEMPT A GEAR UP EMERGENCY LANDING ON RWY OVERRUN AREA. THE A/C TOUCHED DOWN IN THE GRASS 97 YARDS FROM THE END OF THE RUNWAY 17, SKIDDING 69 YARDS, WHERE IT WENT THROUGH A BARBED WIRE FENCE, THEN SKIDDING AN ADDITIONAL 42 YARDS ACROSS STATE HIGHWAY 51 AND COMING TO A REST IN A BAR DITCH AGAINST A BARBED WIRE FENCE ON TEH SOUGH SIDE OF HIGHWAY 51. THE PILOT STATED THAT ON A FINAL APPROACH HE SWITCHED THE FUEL FROM THE AUXILIARY TANKS TO THE LEFT MAIN. A VISUAL INSPECTION OF BOTH THE LEFT AND RIGHT AUZILIARY TANKS INDICATED THAT ONLY A RESIDUAL AMOUNT OF FUEL REMAINED IN THE BOTTOM OF THE TANKS. A VISUAL INSPECTION OF BOTH MAIN TANKS INDICATED THAT BOTH TANKS WERE FULL. THE FUEL GAUGES INDICATED THAT BOTH AUZILIARY TANKS WERE EMPTY AND THE MAIN TANKS WERE FULL. (.4)ON SEPTEMBER 17, 2000, AT 1800 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, A BEECH H35 AIRPLANE, N5448D, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED DURING A FORCED LANDING FOLLOWING A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AT THE WAGONER MUNICIPAL AIRPORT, WAGONER, OKLAHOMA. THE PRIVATE PILOT, WHO WAS THE REGISTERED OWNER AND OPERATOR OF THE AIRPLANE, AND HIS TWO PASSENGERS WERE NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT AND A FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED. THE LOCAL FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM THE WAGONER MUNICIPAL AIRPORT AT 1715.ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, THE FLIGHT DEPARTED FROM RUNWAY 17 AND REMAINED IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN EXECUTING TOUCH-AND-GO LANDINGS. DURING AN APPROACH TO THE RUNWAY, HE SWITCHED THE FUEL SELECTOR FROM THE AUXILIARY TANKS TO THE LEFT MAIN TANK. THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN AND HE THEN "RECONFIGURED" THE AIRPLANE FOR TAKEOFF. THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED, THE LANDING GEAR WAS RETRACTED, AND WHILE CLIMBING THROUGH 75 FEET AGL, THE ENGINE LOST TOTAL POWER. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO RE-START THE ENGINE, BUT THE ENGINE DID NOT RE-START. DURING THE ENSUING FORCED LANDING, TO THE RUNWAY OVERRUN AREA, THE AIRPLANE CONTACTED A BARBED WIRE FENCE, CROSSED OVER A STATE HIGHWAY, AND CAME TO REST UPRIGHT IN A DITCH. THE PILOT ADDED THAT THE BOOST PUMP WAS "STILL RUNNING," AFTER THE AIRPLANE CAME TO A STOP.ACCORDING TO THE FAA INSPECTOR, WHO EXAMINED THE AIRPLANE AT THE SITE, THE EMPENNAGE WAS TWISTED AND BOTH PROPELLER BLADES, 7 INCHES INBOARD FROM THE BLADE-TIP, WERE BENT BACK 90 DEGREES. HE STATED THAT, WHEN HE LOOKED IN EACH OF THE AIRPLANE'S FUEL TANKS, HE OBSERVED THAT THE AUXILIARY FUEL TANKS WERE EMPTY AND THE MAIN FUEL TANKS WERE FULL. HE ADDED THAT THE COCKPIT FUEL SELECTOR WAS IN THE LEFT MAIN TANK POSITION AND THAT A SAMPLE OF FUEL FROM THE LEFT MAIN FUEL TANK WAS "CLEAR AND FREE OF CONTAMINANTS." IN THE NTSB FORM 6120.1/2, PILOT/OPERATOR AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT, IN THE SECTION "RECOMMENDATION (HOW COULD THIS ACCIDENT HAVE BEEN PREVENTED)," THE PILOT STATED THE FOLLOWING; "SELECT THE FULLEST TANK LONG BEFORE FINAL AND TOUCHDOWN AND CONFIRM [FUEL] SELECTOR HANDLE IS IN DETENT ON FULLEST TANK."

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.