CEN22LA059

The pilot reported that while in cruise flight, the airplane’s engine lost power suddenly. He noted that he was not in the process of changing or manipulating any controls when the power loss occurred. The pilot reported that the fuel flow to the engine dropped and the engine lost power, which is supported by engine monitor data. The pilot’s attempts to restore fuel flow and restart the engine were unsuccessful. The pilot realized that he would not be able to reach the airport he had selected and redirected the airplane toward a nearby highway. During the landing flare on the highway, the right-wing tip struck a road sign. The airplane exited the highway and came to rest nose down in a ditch which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. During recovery of the airplane, 22 gallons of fuel were recovered from the right-wing fuel tanks, and 26 gallons were recovered from the left-wing fuel tanks. Postaccident examination of the airplane and an engine test run were performed. The engine ran normally and no reason for the interruption of fuel flow was discovered. Based on the available information, the airplane’s engine lost power due to a fuel flow interruption for reasons that could not be determined.

On December 2, 2021, about 1415 central standard time, a Beech A36, N8038Z, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Cleveland, Texas. The pilot and two passengers were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that while en route at 6,000 ft on an instrument flight rules flight plan the airplane engine suddenly lost power. He reported that he was not in the process of changing or manipulating any controls at the time of the power loss. The pilot elected to fly toward a nearby airport depicted on his GPS receiver. While gliding toward the airport, he attempted to restart the engine several times, but he could not get fuel flow back even with the fuel pump on. He attempted switching fuel tanks during this time and the airplane engine monitor showed no fuel flow despite restart attempts. During the descent, the airplane broke out of the clouds about 3,000 ft. The pilot realized that he would not be able to reach the airport he had selected and redirected the airplane toward a nearby highway. During the landing flare on the highway, the right-wing tip struck a road sign. The airplane exited the highway and came to rest nose down in a ditch. The fuselage sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that he was utilizing the fuel flow indicator during the flight to aid in balancing fuel during the flight. He noted that he would switch tanks after about every 10 gallons burned. When the airplane was recovered from the accident site, recovery personnel drained 22 gallons from the right-wing fuel tanks and 26 gallons from the left-wing fuel tanks. A postaccident engine test run was conducted. The airplane’s wings had been removed and a temporary fuel can plumbed into the left wing fuel line for the test run. The propeller was bent and was replaced with a surrogate propeller for the test run. The engine started on the first attempt and ran without any problems or malfunctions. The J.P. Instruments, Inc., EDM-900 engine monitor was removed from the airplane for subsequent download of stored data. The data supported the pilot’s description that the fuel flow dropped and the engine lost power with a corresponding loss of exhaust gas temperatures and cylinder head temperatures. The reason for the interruption of fuel flow could not be determined during the postaccident airplane examination.