- Date
- December 13, 1984, 07:51 local (12:51 UTC)
- Place
- Norfolk, VA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N8517ZBeech D18S
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19841213076089A
- Case key
- 6580
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The acft crashed during an ILS approach following an engine power loss while on an air taxi freight flight. The plt related that at about 550 ft on the approach to rwy 23 the left eng fuel press warning lite illuminated & the lt eng loss power. The plt opened the crossfeed valve & shortly the rt fuel press warning lite illuminated followed by loss of power on the rt eng. Investigation revealed that there is one fuel gauge for the tank system & a selector switch must be activated to determine the fuel quantity in any desired tank. The plt's action in selecting crossfeed & not closing the fuel shut off valve allowed fuel to be diverted from the operative rt eng resulting in a loss of power due to fuel starvation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8517Z
- Reported as
- Beech D18S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- A-352
- Airframe hours
- 12,245
- Engine
- P&W R985-14B, 450 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Transtar Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- RIC · Richmond, VA
- Destination
- ORF · Norfolk, VA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- ORF · Norfolk Int'L, runway 23, 9,000 × 150 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 52
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 10,000 total · 1,520 in this make and model · 10,000 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 19,000 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ORF, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N8517Z · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.