- Date
- December 4, 1992, 19:01 local (Dec 5, 1992, 01:01 UTC)
- Place
- Calera, AL
- Injuries
- 6 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7479NBeech 95-B55B
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921204049209A
- Case key
- 8680
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's continued flight with the fuel tank selector handles improperly positioned, which resulted in fuel starvation and engine stoppage. Factors were the cloudy weather conditions, the night lighting conditions, and the steep, hilly terrain conditions (a quarry) at the crash site.
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 commercial pilot and 5 passengers were on a cross country flight. Night, IMC prevailed. Shortly after the flight began a descent for landing, the pilot reported that he had an 'engine out'. He then followed up by saying that both engines were 'cutting out'. While receiving vectors to a closer airport, the airplane crashed into the wall of a deep rock quarry. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and fire. The investigation revealed that one of the fuel tank selector valves was in the 'aux' tank position. The aircraft checklist states that the auxiliary tanks are to be used in level flight only. A teardown and inspection of the engines and components did not reveal evidence of a mechanical failure or malfunction.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7479N
- Reported as
- Beech 95-B55B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- TC-1226
- Airframe hours
- 3,014
- Engine
- Continental IO-470-L, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Gene Stewart, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Gene Stewart, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 30, 1992 · 63 hours before
- Departed
- GNV · Gainesville, FL
- Destination
- BHM · Birmingham, AL
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 24
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 842 total · 800 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BHM, 27 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 N7479N · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.