- Date
- March 26, 2013, 19:00 local (Mar 27, 2013, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Fort Stockton, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N888TTBeech A36
- Defining event
- Approach: Fuel starvation
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report June 4, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20130326004079A
- Case key
- 86522
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 student pilot inadvertently switching the fuel selector to the OFF position and the flight instructor's failure to monitor the student pilot's actions.
Findings · 3
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 student pilot was instructed to move the fuel selector from the right tank to the left tank. When the airplane was on the downwind leg for landing, the instructor told the pilot to reduce power and perform a simulated forced landing. Because the airplane was far from the runway and 200 feet above the ground, the instructor told the pilot to go around. The student advanced the throttle, but the engine did not respond. The instructor took control of the airplane, turned 40 degrees to the right, lowered the landing gear, and made an off-airport landing on a rough dirt field. The left wing struck a large bush and was substantially damaged, and the airplane spun around 90 degrees to the left and slid sideways for about 65 feet. After evacuating the airplane, the instructor returned to turn off the electronics and noticed that the fuel selector was in the OFF position.
Factual narrative
The student was instructed to switch from the right tank to the left tank. When the airplane was on the downwind leg for landing, the instructor told the pilot to reduce power and perform a simulated forced landing. Because the airplane was some distance from the runway and 200 feet above the ground, the instructor told the pilot to go around. The throttle was advanced but the engine did not respond. The instructor took control of the airplane, turned 40 degrees to the right, lowered the landing gear, and made an off-airport landing on a rough dirt field. The left wing struck a large bush and the airplane spun around 90 degrees to the left and slid sideways for about 65 feet. After evacuating the airplane, the instructor returned to turn off the electronics and noticed that the fuel selector was in the OFF position.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N888TT
- Reported as
- Beech A36
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- E-1641
- Airframe hours
- 2,461
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-B5F, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- I.B. Development, LLC
- Registered owner
- I.B. Development, LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 18, 2013 · 11 hours before
- Departed
- E01 · Monahans, TX
- Destination
- KFST · Fort Stockton, TX
- Airport
- KFST · Fort Stockton-Pecos County, runway 12, 7,508 × 100 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 61
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 4, 2011
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 2,683 total · 11 in this make and model · 1,364 as pilot in command
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 13, 2012
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 375 total · 5 in this make and model · 305 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 150° at 18 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 12 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- KFST, 1 nm away
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 25, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.9 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.