- Date
- February 14, 2013, 10:20 local (16:20 UTC)
- Place
- Abilene, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7466DBeech A60
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 9, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Lubbock FSDO
- FAA report
- 20130214001179A
- Case key
- 86224
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 improper fuel management, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that he had added fuel at the previous fuel stop and that he was using a fuel totalizer to determine the quantity of fuel onboard. After climbing to a cruise altitude of 14,000 feet above ground level, he discovered that the fuel mixture control was frozen and that he was unable to lean the mixture to a lower fuel flow setting. The pilot reported that because of the increased fuel consumption, he briefly considered an en route stop for additional fuel but decided to continue. During descent, the airplane experienced a complete loss of power in both engines, and the pilot made an emergency off-field, gear-up landing about 7 miles from the destination. The airplane impacted terrain and thick scrub trees, which resulted in substantial damage to both wings, both engine mounts, and the fuselage. A postaccident examination found that only a trace of fuel remained. The pilot also reported that there was no mechanical malfunction or failure and that his inadequate fuel management was partly because he had become overconfident in his abilities after 50 years of flying.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he had added a specified amount of fuel at the previous fuel stop and he was using a fuel totalizer to determine the quantity of fuel on-board. After climbing to a cruise altitude of 14,000 feet above ground level he discovered that the fuel mixture control was frozen and he was unable to lean the mixture to a lower fuel flow setting. The pilot reported that because of the increased fuel consumption he briefly considered an enroute stop for additional fuel but decided to continue. During descent the airplane experienced a complete loss of power in both engines and the pilot made an emergency off-field gear-up landing about 7 miles from the destination. The airplane impacted terrain and thick scrub trees which resulted in substantial damage to both wings, both engine mounts, and the fuselage. A postaccident examination found that only a trace of fuel remained. The pilot also reported that there was no mechanical malfunction or failure and that his inadequate fuel management was partly because he had become overconfident in his abilities after 50 years of flying.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7466D
- Reported as
- Beech A60
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- P-139
- Airframe hours
- 3,725
- Engines
- Lycoming TIO-541 SER, 310 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming TI0-541 SER, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Frank Leroy Bell
- Registered owner
- Leroy Bell
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 1, 2012 · 30 hours before
- Departed
- FSM · Fort Smith, AR
- Destination
- ABI · Abilene, TX
- 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
- 75
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 28, 2012
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 7,500 total · 800 in this make and model · 7,500 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.05 inHg
- Observed at
- KABI, 7 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 20, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.4 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.