- Date
- March 7, 1987, 16:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Alma, MI
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N12KTBeech BE 36
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 30, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870307005309A
- Case key
- 13739
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
According to the plt, during the preflight inspection, he determined that both gas tanks were full and 'everything was in order.' After aprx one hour of local flight, the plt entered a left downwind for rwy 27 at gratiot community airport, Alma, Michigan. The plt stated that he then switched to the other fuel tank, which was full, and shortly thereafter 'encountered engine out.' According to the plt, he observed the tank indicator and checked the fuel slector valve, which 'seemed to be firmly in place.' The acft landed short of the rwy, in a ditch parallel to the rwy. Inspection of the acft revealed that the engine had no fuel in its systems. The #6 fuel line from the fuel selector valve to the engine driven fuel pump was dry. When the selector valve was moved to the LH and RH positions, with the electric fuel boost pump on, the engine had fuel flow out of the engine fuel pump outlet to the fuel control.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N12KT
- Reported as
- Beech BE 36
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- E-1193
- Airframe hours
- 1,587
- Engine
- Continental IO 520 8A, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Bonanza Aircraft Leasing Co.
- Registered owner
- Bonanza Aircraft Leasing Co
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 8, 1987 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- GRR · Grand Rapids, MI
- Airport
- AMN · Gratiot Community, runway 27, 5,000 × 75 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 59
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 835 total · 346 in this make and model · 1 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 12 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MBS, 29 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.