CHI97LA175

The airplane was fueled with 32.2 gallons of usable fuel prior to departure. While on final approach during the second leg of a cross country flight, the pilot spotted parachutists over the airport. He applied power to go-around at which time the engine did not respond. The airplane collided with the terrain while the pilot attempted to avoid powerlines. Inspection of the wreckage revealed 20 ounces of fuel in the left fuel tank which was selected. The right fuel tank was empty. No fuel was found in the carburetor nor was there any signs of fuel leakage at the accident site.

On June 21, 1997, at 1610 central daylight time, a Beech C23, N6535R, operated by a private pilot collided with the terrain following a loss of engine power while on final approach to land at the Wamego Municipal Airport, Wamego, Kansas. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. The pilot and three passengers received minor injuries. The airplane was substantially damage. The flight originated from Spencer, Iowa, at 1345 cdt.

The pilot reported the purpose of the flight was to attend a funeral in Spencer, Iowa. He stated that on the day prior to the accident he and three passengers departed Dallas, Texas and they flew to Emporia, Kansas, then on to Denison, Iowa, where the airplane was refueled and they spent the night. The following morning, they departed Denison, Iowa, for Spencer, Iowa. At approximately 1345, they departed Spencer, Iowa, and were planning on stopping at Wamego for fuel.

The pilot reported he initiated his descent from 5,500 feet without using carburetor heat. The pilot stated that while on a straight in final approach to runway 17 at Wamego, he spotted two parachutists descending over the airport. He stated he initiated a go-around as he was concerned that the parachutists would drift over the runway. He stated that engine power was lost as he applied full throttle. The pilot reported, "With two notches of flaps in and no power I began losing altitude and airspeed. I dropped the nose further to break the oncoming stall but in the new configuration I did not believe I had the airspeed or the altitude to make the airport or the power lines directly in front of me. My last effort was to pull in the third notch of flaps and land in the cornfield short of he power lines."

The airplane came to rest approximately 100 feet north of Highway 24 which runs north of the airport. Post accident inspection of the airplane by an FAA Inspector revealed that all three landing gear were separated from the airplane, the engine and firewall were pulled away and down from the airframe, and the windscreen was broken. The right wing was damaged as was the right flap. The leading edge wing skin was separated at the first row of rivets just outside of the fuel filler cap. The left wing was relatively intact with most of the damage having occurred to the left flap. The right wing fuel tank was empty and the left wing fuel tank contained approximately 20 ounces of fuel. The fuel selector was positioned to the left wing tank. There was no fuel present in the carburetor. The carburetor fuel screen was pulled and it was clean. The fuel line to the fuel pump did not contain any fuel. The magnetos produced a spark when tested and the spark plugs were clean.

A Kansas State Highway Patrol Trooper who arrived at the accident site shortly after the accident occurred reported that he opened the fuel caps on each tank and he was unable to see any fuel in either tank. He also checked for signs of fuel leakage and reported that there were none.

During a telephone conversation the pilot reported he did not top off the fuel tanks due to gross weight concerns. He stated he had the tanks filled to the "slot." According to the Pilot's Operating Handbook, this would have provided for 40 gallons of fuel of which 32.2 gallons were usable. He reported it took approximately 45 minutes to fly from Denison to Spencer and an additional 2 hours 40 minutes to fly from Spencer to Wamego.

The pilot stated he flew from Denison to Spencer at an altitude of 3,000 feet msl. The pilot flew the flight between Spencer and Wamego at 5,500 feet msl. He stated he used a power setting between 2,250 and 2,300 rpm.

Using a total front seat occupant weight of 415 lbs., a total rear seat occupant weight of 320 lbs., and 32 gallons of usable fuel, the airplane was a minimum of 92 pounds over the maximum gross weight at takeoff. This weight does not take into account the baggage which was on board the airplane.