# NTSB CHI02LA027: Beech V35, N4890J, Mounds View, MN, November 10, 2001 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: November 10, 2001, 16:20 local (22:20 UTC) - Place: Mounds View, MN - Coordinates: 45.009136, -93.150787 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=45.0091&lon=-93.1508&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Approach](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/500) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 2 serious, 1 minor - Status: Completed, report July 2, 2002 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration, Raytheon Aircraft Company, Teledyne Continental Motors - NTSB case key (mKey): 53761 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI02LA027 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/53761/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI02LA027 ## Probable cause Fuel starvation caused by the pilot's improper positioning of the fuel tank fuel selector while in the traffic pattern, and the unsuitable terrain encountered during the forced landing. Factors relating to the accident were the pilot not complying with the emergency procedures checklist, and the tree. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power, approach - vfr pattern - base leg/base to final - fluid,fuel - starvation (cause) - fuel tank selector position - improper use of, pilot in command (cause) - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - emergency procedure - not complied with, pilot in command (contributing factor) - In flight collision with object, emergency descent/landing - unsuitable terrain or takeoff/landing/taxi area - encountered, pilot in command (cause) - object - tree(s) (contributing factor) - In flight collision with terrain/water, descent - uncontrolled ## Analysis The pilot said they departed Anoka County Airport (ANE) for some touch and go landings. The pilot said they performed two uneventful patterns and landings. As the airplane turned onto final approach for the third pattern, the engine stopped. The pilot recalled there was no roughness or sputtering prior to the complete loss of power. The airplane's flaps were set at 10-degrees and the landing gear was down. An engine restart was attempted with no success. The pilot said, "The landing gear was brought up to increase our glide distance but the airport could not be made. The terrain was wooded with homes interspersed. No good landing areas were apparent so I steered towards the trees rather than the homes. I then made an emergency call to the ANE control tower. We clipped trees with the right wing followed by the left wing. It was a hard impact and I was knocked unconscious soon after that. We landed nose first in a grove of trees close to a detached garage." The passenger in the rear seat said that they had been operating in the traffic pattern approximately 20 to 30 minutes when the engine quit. The passenger said the propeller continued to windmill. They turned base to final. Then the airplane's right wing hit a large tree. The airplane then went straight down. The passenger said as he got out of the airplane, he noted that fire was on the ground all around the airplane. The passenger said that when the airplane's engine quit, he noticed the right seat passenger reach over the pilot to get something. The passenger said the pilot tried to restart the engine, but it wouldn't start. An examination of the airplane's fuel system revealed the fuel selector valve positioned between the left and right tank lines providing no fuel to flow through the valve. An examination of the engine and other airplane systems revealed no anomalies. According to the airplane owner's manual, the Engine Failure checklist reads, "Fuel Selector - CHANGE TO OTHER CELL (check visually)" ## Factual narrative On November 10, 2001, at 1620 central standard time, a Beech V35, N4890J, piloted by a commercial pilot was destroyed when following a loss of power, the airplane struck a tree and subsequently impacted the terrain 1 mile south of the Anoka County/Blaine Airport (ANE), Mounds View, Minnesota. A post crash fire ensued. The airplane was operating in the left hand traffic pattern for runway 35 at ANE. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger in the right seat sustained serious injuries in the accident. A second passenger seated in the rear seat reported minor injuries. The local flight originated at ANE. In her written statement, the pilot said they departed ANE for some touch and go landings. The pilot said, "After 2 uneventful landings (1 stop and go) (1 touch and go) we turned onto final approach when sudden and complete engine stoppage occurred. As I recall there was no roughness or sputtering prior to the complete loss of power. The landing checklist on downwind had the flaps set in the 10-degree position and the landing gear was down and locked. After engine failure a restart was attempted with no success. The landing gear was brought up to increase our glide distance but the airport could not be made. The terrain was wooded with homes interspersed. No good landing areas were apparent so I steered towards the trees rather than the homes. I then made an emergency call to the ANE control tower. We clipped trees with the right wing followed by the left wing. It was a hard impact and I was knocked unconscious soon after that. We landed nose first in a grove of trees close to a detached garage." In his statement to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the passenger in the rear seat said that they had been operating in the traffic pattern approximately 20 to 30 minutes when the engine quit. The passenger said the propeller continued to windmill. They turned base to final. Then the airplane's right wing hit a large tree. The passenger said the airplane then went straight down. The passenger said he got out of the airplane through an emergency door. He noted that fire was on the ground all around the airplane. The passenger said he then got the pilot and the other passenger out of the airplane. The passenger said that when the airplane's engine quit, he noticed the right seat passenger reach over the pilot to get something. The passenger said the pilot attempted to restart the engine, but was not successful. The passenger stated that he observed the pilot-rated passenger perform the preflight inspection. He said that the pilot-rated passenger checked the fuel in the right tank. He said that the pilot-rated passenger did not check the fuel in the left tank. He observed the pilot-rated passenger check and sump both tanks at their low point. The passenger said that sometime during the preflight, he heard the pilot-rated passenger say that they had about 3/4 total fuel. He could not recall which fuel tank was selected when they took off. A FAA inspector examined the airplane at the accident site. The airplane's main wreckage rested in a wooded area behind a residence and next to a garage. The airplane's right wing preceded the main wreckage by 75 feet. It was broken aft and charred by fire. The airplane's right main fuel tank was broken open. The tank was also charred, melted, and consumed by fire. The airplane's forward fuselage and cabin were melted and consumed by fire. The aft fuselage and empennage were intact and showed bends and buckling. The airplane's left wing was intact. The inboard portion of the wing near the wing root was broken aft and charred. No fuel was observed in the left fuel tank. The propeller showed nicks in the leading edges of the blades. Flight control continuity was confirmed. An examination of the airplane's fuel system revealed the fuel selector valve, located behind the front lower left wall of the cockpit area, was positioned between the left and right tank lines, providing no fuel to flow through the valve. An examination of the engine, remaining engine controls, and other airplane systems revealed no anomalies. The V35 Owner's manual states that the standard usable fuel capacity for the airplane is 49 gallons. According to the V35 Owner's Manual under FUEL TANK SELECTION, the text reads: "Ordinarily, take-offs and landings should be made using the cell that is more nearly full." According to the V35 Owner's Manual under ENGINE MALFUNCTION IN FLIGHT, Engine Failure, the text reads: "The most probable cause of engine failure would be the loss of fuel flow or improper functioning of the ignition system. Under Discrepancy Checks, the checklist reads as follows: (Loss of engine power, loss of fuel flow, rough running engine, etc.) 1. Fuel Quantity Gage - CHECK (Fuel cell being used is empty). Air Start Procedure a. Throttle - RETARD b. Mixture Control - FULL RICH c. Fuel Selector - CHANGE TO OTHER CELL (check visually) d. Auxiliary Fuel Pump - ON until power is regained, the OFF e. Throttle - ADVANCE to desired power f. Mixture Control - LEAN for altitude as desired" ## Aircraft - Registration: [N4890J](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4890J-2013-05-09), registration cancelled 2013-05-09, S/N D-8425, built 1967 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Beech V35 - Registry model: [Beech V35](https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-v35) (registry code 1151538) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental IO-520 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-520-series) (registry code 17032, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: D-8425 - Airframe hours: 2692.5 - Engines: Continental IO-520 285 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Destroyed - Fire: On-Ground - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Michael A. Thern - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility - Departed: ANE, Mounds View, MN - Airport: ANE, Anoka County/Blaine Airport, runway 36, 4,855 × 100 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 47; injuries: serious; commercial, flight instructor; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review June 3, 2001; seat: left; flight hours: 4,204 total, 2 in this make and model, 3,731 as pilot in command, 15 in the last 90 days, 2 in the last 30 days, 2 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 350° at 7 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 54 °F, dew point 30 °F - Altimeter: 30.22 inHg - Observed at: ANE, 1 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20011110030989A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20011110030989A), Nov 10, 2001: Beech V35, Minneapolis, MN, No damage. (-23) Aircraft was on third approach for full stop to ane after completing 1 stop and go and 1 touch and go landing on runway 36 at ane. On final approach the… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.