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20160605024269A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Beech F33A · Fairfield, NJ · June 5, 2016

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
June 5, 2016 · 12:05 local
Place
Fairfield, NJ
Airport
Essex County
Phase of flight
Landing: Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N444VT
NTSB investigation
NTSBERA16CA203
Reported as
Beech F33A
Reported engine
Continental IO-520 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Private pilot, unknown or foreign certificate
Pilot’s flight hours
2,100 total20 in this make and model57 in the last 90 days
N444VTRegistration cancelled Oct 27, 2016 · Beech F33AS/N CE-1073 · Built 1985Airframe modelBeech F33AEngine modelContinental IO-520 seriesReciprocating

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.

Subject aircraft was attempting to land RNAV approach on runway 22 at kcdw, the aircraft had a missed approach to this runway. While requesting to circle and land the airman stated to kcdw tower he was having a possible electrical issue with the aircraft. As the subject aircraft was attempting to land on runway 10 the airman stated over the radio to kcdw tower he had an engine out condition and was attempting to make the runway. The next radio transmission from the airman to kcdw tower was the aircraft was on the ground and that both he and his passenger were ok. Subsequently the aircraft hit several trees and a fence before coming to rest in a grassy area short and to the left side of runway 10.

The following was observed upon arrival at the accident scene.

The subject aircraft was in a grassy area short and on the left hand side of runway 10, the nose of the aircraft was facing a heading of approximately 280 degrees. The aircraft was sitting with the right hand main landing gear and nose landing gear collapsed, the nose gear wheel was torn off at the wheel axle, and the left main gear was in the down and locked position. The engine assembly was ripped from the engine mounts and firewall. All three propeller blades were intact and all were attached to the hub, no sign of rotational or dynamic impact damage was observed on either of the blades. Several tree limbs and branches were found logged in the left hand elevator and near the left hand wing. The tops of several trees were found broken approximately twenty five to thirty feet from the ground, an airport perimeter fence located 25 feet from the impacted trees was destroyed. The aircraft came to rest approximately 175 to 200 feet from the damaged trees and fence. A large impact damage area was noted on the leading edge of the left hand wing approximately mid wing.

Inspection of the aircraft and the aircraft fuel system revealed the following.

The gascolator was removed and approximately four (4) ounces of fuel was recovered, the fuel was found to be free of water and contaminates. The main fuel supply line form the engine firewall to the main fuel manifold was found intact, the line was removed and was found to be absent of any fuel. Inspection of the right hand and left hand main fuel tanks showed both tanks to be intact and neither tank was breached. The right hand and left hand wing tip tanks were both intact with only the left tip tank breached. The right hand fuel drain was removed and approximately twenty (20) ounces of fuel was recovered, the fuel was free of water and contaminates. The left hand fuel tank was drained and approximately twenty one (21) gallons of fuel was recovered, the fuel was found to be free of water and contaminates. Both wing tip tanks were found to be absent of any fuel. Visual inspection of the manually operated fuel selector showed the valve was selected to the right hand main tank position.

As the FAA filed it

SUBJECT AIRCRAFT WAS ATTEMPTING TO LAND RNAV APPROACH ON RUNWAY 22 AT KCDW, THE AIRCRAFT HAD A MISSED APPROACH TO THIS RUNWAY. WHILE REQUESTING TO CIRCLE AND LAND THE AIRMAN STATED TO KCDW TOWER HE WAS HAVING A POSSIBLE ELECTRICAL ISSUE WITH THE AIRCRAFT. AS THE SUBJECT AIRCRAFT WAS ATTEMPTING TO LAND ON RUNWAY 10 THE AIRMAN STATED OVER THE RADIO TO KCDW TOWER HE HAD AN ENGINE OUT CONDITION AND WAS ATTEMPTING TO MAKE THE RUNWAY. THE NEXT RADIO TRANSMISSION FROM THE AIRMAN TO KCDW TOWER WAS THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON THE GROUND AND THAT BOTH HE AND HIS PASSENGER WERE OK.SUBSEQUENTLY THE AIRCRAFT HIT SEVERAL TREES AND A FENCE BEFORE COMING TO REST IN A GRASSY AREA SHORT AND TO THE LEFT SIDE OF RUNWAY 10.

THE FOLLOWING WAS OBSERVED UPON ARRIVAL AT THE ACCIDENT SCENE.

THE SUBJECT AIRCRAFT WAS IN A GRASSY AREA SHORT AND ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF RUNWAY 10, THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS FACING A HEADING OF APPROXIMATELY 280 DEGREES. THE AIRCRAFT WAS SITTING WITH THE RIGHT HAND MAIN LANDING GEAR AND NOSE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED, THE NOSE GEAR WHEEL WAS TORN OFF AT THE WHEEL AXLE, AND THE LEFT MAIN GEAR WAS IN THE DOWN AND LOCKED POSITION. THE ENGINE ASSEMBLY WAS RIPPED FROM THE ENGINE MOUNTS AND FIREWALL. ALL THREE PROPELLER BLADES WERE INTACT AND ALL WERE ATTACHED TO THE HUB, NO SIGN OF ROTATIONAL OR DYNAMIC IMPACT DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED ON EITHER OF THE BLADES. SEVERAL TREE LIMBS AND BRANCHES WERE FOUND LOGGED IN THE LEFT HAND ELEVATOR AND NEAR THE LEFT HAND WING. THE TOPS OF SEVERAL TREES WERE FOUND BROKEN APPROXIMATELY TWENTY FIVE TO THIRTY FEET FROM THE GROUND, AN AIRPORT PERIMETER FENCE LOCATED 25 FEET FROM THE IMPACTED TREES WAS DESTROYED. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST APPROXIMATELY 175 TO 200 FEET FROM THE DAMAGED TREES AND FENCE. A LARGE IMPACT DAMAGE AREA WAS NOTED ON THE LEADING EDGE OF THE LEFT HAND WING APPROXIMATELY MID WING.

INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT AND THE AIRCRAFT FUEL SYSTEM REVEALED THE FOLLOWING.

THE GASCOLATOR WAS REMOVED AND APPROXIMATELY FOUR (4) OUNCES OF FUEL WAS RECOVERED, THE FUEL WAS FOUND TO BE FREE OF WATER AND CONTAMINATES. THE MAIN FUEL SUPPLY LINE FORM THE ENGINE FIREWALL TO THE MAIN FUEL MANIFOLD WAS FOUND INTACT, THE LINE WAS REMOVED AND WAS FOUND TO BE ABSENT OF ANY FUEL. INSPECTION OF THE RIGHT HAND AND LEFT HAND MAIN FUEL TANKS SHOWED BOTH TANKS TO BE INTACT AND NEITHER TANK WAS BREACHED. THE RIGHT HAND AND LEFT HAND WING TIP TANKS WERE BOTH INTACT WITH ONLY THE LEFT TIP TANK BREACHED. THE RIGHT HAND FUEL DRAIN WAS REMOVED AND APPROXIMATELY TWENTY (20) OUNCES OF FUEL WAS RECOVERED, THE FUEL WAS FREE OF WATER AND CONTAMINATES. THE LEFT HAND FUEL TANK WAS DRAINED AND APPROXIMATELY TWENTY ONE (21) GALLONS OF FUEL WAS RECOVERED, THE FUEL WAS FOUND TO BE FREE OF WATER AND CONTAMINATES. BOTH WING TIP TANKS WERE FOUND TO BE ABSENT OF ANY FUEL. VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE MANUALLY OPERATED FUEL SELECTOR SHOWED THE VALVE WAS SELECTED TO THE RIGHT HAND MAIN TANK POSITION.

NTSB investigation

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

NTSB ERA16CA203Accident · No injuriesData collectionFinal reportFairfield, NJThe pilot's failure to adequately manage the available fuel supply, resulting in fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power.Jun 5, 2016 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N444VT · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Incident 20110215001839ILanding: Touchdown · Lee'S Summit, MOFollowing an IFR flight from I69 to lxt, the pilot conducted an RNAV (GPS) rwy 18 approach at lxt. The pilot stated that he thought he had lowered the landing gear at the fix, but now believes that he moved the flap handle to the full-down position instead.…Feb 15, 2011 · Minor damage