- Date
- October 14, 2003, 15:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Grandview, MO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N471TBeech A33
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 24, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20031014025909A
- Case key
- 58149
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
Separation of the fuel selector handle which resulted in fuel exhaustion and the subsequent loss of engine power. A factor was the hay bale that the airplane contacted during the forced landing.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The airplane collided with a hay bale during an off airport forced landing following a loss of engine power. The pilot reported he attempted to switch the fuel selector from an auxiliary tank to a main fuel tank when the fuel handle came off in his hand. The pilot reported, "I put the handle back on the shaft but it would not move the selector valve. It would only spin on the shaft." He reported that shortly thereafter, the fuel in the auxiliary tank was exhausted and the engine lost power. The pilot reported he selected a field in which to make the forced landing. He stated that during the landing the left wing contacted a large hay bale that was in the field. Post accident inspection of the fuel selector indicated the roll pin which holds the selector handle on its shaft was missing. The pin was not located.
Factual narrative
On October 14, 2003, at 1530 central daylight time, a Beech A33, N471T, collided with a hay bale during an off airport forced landing following a loss of engine power, in Grandview, Missouri. The ATP certificated pilot and his passenger were not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Topeka, Kansas, at 1500.
The pilot reported he was at an altitude of 3,000 above mean sea level when he attempted to switch the fuel selector from an auxiliary tank to one of the main fuel tanks in preparation for landing. He reported that when he moved the selector handle, it came off in his hand. The pilot reported, "I put the handle back on the shaft but it would not move the selector valve. It would only spin on the shaft." He reported that shortly thereafter, the fuel in the auxiliary tank was exhausted and the engine lost power.
The pilot reported he selected a field in which to make the forced landing. He stated that during the landing the left wing contacted a large hay bale that was in the field.
Post accident inspection of the fuel selector indicated the roll pin which holds the selector handle on its shaft was missing. The pin was not located.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N471T
- Reported as
- Beech A33
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- CD293
- Airframe hours
- 4,224
- Engine
- Continental IO-470-J, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Kenneth L. Palmer
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 23, 2002 · 7 hours before
- Departed
- TOP · Topeka, KS
- Destination
- LXT · Lee's Summit, MO
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
- 74
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Airline transport, Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- April 16, 2002
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 17,217 total · 450 in this make and model · 13,615 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Observed at
- OJC, 10 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.
Other investigations on N471T · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.