CEN17LA003

During a personal cross-country flight, the airplane's engine lost power when the airplane was 1/2 mile from the destination airport. The airline transport pilot performed a forced landing, during which the airplane struck trees and severed both wings. The fuselage impacted the ground, and the airplane caught fire. Although many of the engine accessories were damaged or destroyed by the postcrash fire, a postaccident examination of the engine revealed considerable debris in the fuel strainer screen, and the fuel strainer bowl was extensively corroded. Thus, it is likely that the debris in the fuel strainer stopped adequate flow of fuel to the engine, resulting in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

On October 1, 2016, about 0925 central daylight time, a Beech C23 airplane, N9704L, was destroyed after impacting trees and terrain during final approach to Taylor Municipal Airport (T74), Taylor, Texas. The pilot and passenger were seriously injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by Hybird, Inc., Livingston, Texas, under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The airplane departed McCampbell-Porter Airport (KTFP), Ingleside, Texas, and was destined for T74.The pilot told Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors that the engine lost power when the airplane was ½-mile from runway 35 and a forced landing ensued. During the forced landing, the airplane struck trees and both wings were separated at the wing roots. The fuselage impacted the ground and came to rest upright about 20 feet from the trees that were struck. The airplane caught fire. The pilot removed the passenger, exited the airplane, and walked to a nearby rural residence. FAA inspectors examined the wreckage at the accident site on October 4, 2016. Flight control continuity was confirmed. The wreckage was retained for further examination. On October 14, 2016, the engine and airplane were examined at Air Salvage of Dallas, Lancaster, Texas. An examination of the engine showed that many of the engine accessories were damaged or destroyed by the post-crash fire. The crankshaft was hand-rotated at the flange. Thumb suction and compression were obtained on all but the number 2 cylinder. As the engine was rotated through 300°, it locked and could not be turned. The accessory housing and propeller were removed. The crankshaft was again rotated by hand and rotated through a full 360° with no obstruction. Further examination revealed the obstruction was caused by damage to the Bendix starter that interfered with the starter ring gear support. Valve train and crankshaft continuity was verified, and the accessory gears were observed rotating. All cylinders were examined with no defects noted. The engine's top spark plugs had been removed at the accident site and only three were present during the examination. Neither could be associated with any specific cylinder. The bottom spark plugs were observed to be Normal-Worn when compared to the Champion Check-A-Plug card. The bottom spark plugs exhibited signatures consistent with normal combustion. The engine was overhauled on January 29, 1991. No case change was recorded. During the examination, considerable debris was noted in the fuel strainer screen, and the fuel strainer bowl was extensively corroded.