# NTSB DEN02LA068: Beech K35, N9518R, Montrose, CO, June 26, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: June 26, 2002, 07:15 local (13:15 UTC) - Place: Montrose, CO - Coordinates: 38.490833, -108.02639 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.4908&lon=-108.0264&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report April 1, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 55139 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DEN02LA068 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/55139/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=55139 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN02LA068 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to follow published aircraft operating procedures, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical, maneuvering - fluid,fuel - starvation (cause) - procedures/directives - not followed, pilot in command (cause) - Forced landing, descent - emergency - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, emergency descent/landing - terrain condition - none suitable (contributing factor) - terrain condition - plowed/furrowed ## Analysis The pilot said that he was practicing flight maneuvers between 500 to 1100 feet above ground level. He said the fuel selector was on the left main tank, and the engine began to sputter. He switched the fuel selector to the right main tank, but did not turn on the boost pump. All attempts to restart the engine failed and he made a forced landing in a bean field, subsequently wrinkling the fuselage, and bending several bulkheads and the lower centerline spar carry through members. An FAA inspector examined the accident aircraft and found the left main fuel tank empty, the right main tank was approximately half full (about 11 gallons), and the auxiliary selector position (two 10 gallon tanks feed one position) with approximately 15 gallons of fuel. The Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH) for the airplane states that the engine air start procedure includes turning the auxiliary fuel pump on "until power is regained, then off." A published temporary change to the POH states: The addition of a placard to the fuel selector to warn of the no-flow condition that exists between the fuel selector detents. ## Factual narrative On June 26, 2002, at approximately 0715 mountain daylight time, a Beech K35, N9518R, was substantially damaged during a forced landing to a field following a loss of engine power near Montrose, Colorado. The private pilot, the sole occupant onboard, was not injured. A private individual was operating the airplane under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local personal flight that originated approximately 43 minutes before the accident. The pilot had not filed a flight plan. In his written statement, the pilot said he switched to the right main fuel tank after leaving the practice area en route to fly over a friend's ranch 5 miles to the south. He maneuvered over the ranch, and was in a left climbing bank on his way back to the airport when the engine quit. He pushed the engine controls forward, and "switched the fuel selector to the aux position momentarily with still no change noted." The pilot then moved the fuel selector back to the right main tank, and verified that the circuit breakers and magnetos were normal. All efforts to restart the engine failed. The pilot made a forced landing in a bean field, subsequently wrinkling the fuselage, and bending several bulkheads and the lower centerline spar carry through members. The pilot told a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector that he departed Montrose to practice flight maneuvers. He said he was maneuvering the aircraft between 500 to 1100 feet above ground level while practicing ground maneuvers. The pilot said the fuel selector was on the left main tank. The engine started to sputter, and he switched the selector to the right main tank, but did not turn on the boost pump. All attempts to restart the engine failed and he made a forced landing in a bean field. An FAA inspector examined the accident aircraft on July 6, 2002, and found the left main fuel tank empty, the right main tank was approximately half full (about 11 gallons), and the auxiliary selector position (two 10 gallon tanks feed one position) with approximately 15 gallons of fuel. Continuity of the throttle and the mixture lines were established, and no abnormalities were found in any of the fuel system's components. The Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH) for the airplane states that the engine air start procedure includes turning the auxiliary fuel pump on "until power is regained, then off." A published temporary change to the POH states: The addition of a placard to the fuel selector to warn of the no-flow condition that exists between the fuel selector detents. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N9518R](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9518R-2018-02-07), registration cancelled 2018-02-07, S/N D-6068, built 1959 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Beech K35 - Registry model: [Beech K35](https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-k35) (registry code 1151524) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental I0-470 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-i0-470-series) (registry code 17027, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: D-6068 - Airframe hours: 5048 - Engines: Continental IO-470-C 250 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: George S. Heavers - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, September 1, 2001, 92 hours before - Departed: MTJ, Montrose, CO ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 53; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review May 31, 2001; seat: left; flight hours: 528 total, 246 in this make and model, 484 as pilot in command, 28 in the last 90 days, 9 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 160° at 5 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 66 °F, dew point 28 °F - Altimeter: 30.23 inHg - Observed at: MJT, 8 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 20020626013679A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020626013679A), Jun 26, 2002: Beech K35, Montrose, CO, Substantial damage. (.19) On June 26, 2002, approximately 0735 mountain daylight time, a Beech K35, N9518R, was substantially damaged when the aircraft impacted terrain during an… ## Docket (1 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 10, 2002, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=55139. 329 KB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 329 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40448255&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Master.PDF 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.