# NTSB DFW05CA104: Beech J35, N8396D, Bartlesville, OK, April 15, 2005 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: April 15, 2005, 11:40 local (16:40 UTC) - Place: Bartlesville, OK - Coordinates: 36.762222, -96.011108 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.7622&lon=-96.0111&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 1 minor - Status: Completed, report July 7, 2005 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 61320 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DFW05CA104 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/61320/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DFW05CA104 ## Probable cause A loss of engine power due to the pilot's inadvertent and improper positioning of the fuel tank selector, which resulted in fuel starvation. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the 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, climb - fluid,fuel - starvation (cause) - fuel tank selector position - inadvertent, pilot in command (cause) - fuel tank selector position - improper, pilot in command (cause) - Forced landing, emergency landing - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, emergency landing - terrain condition - ditch - terrain condition - none suitable (contributing factor) - terrain condition - open field ## Analysis The 3,767-hour commercial pilot was getting ready to make a 180-degree turn for a 45-degree entry to a right downwind for runway 17, when the engine started sputtering. He immediately reached down and turned the fuel selector from the "left main" tank to what he thought was the "auxiliary" tank position. Subsequently, the engine stopped producing power. He then switched the auxiliary fuel pump to the "on" position, thinking that the engine would resume running momentarily, but it did not. The pilot then looked to the airport and realized that he would not be able to make it to the runway. The pilot then began to look for a suitable location for a forced landing. The pilot extended the airplane's landing gear and elected to land in an open pasture. After touching down in the pasture, he observed a ditch in his path which he would not be able to avoid. After the accident, the pilot discovered that he had turned the fuel selector to the "off" position, instead of the "auxiliary" position. ## Factual narrative On April 15, 2005, approximately 1140 central daylight time, a Beech J35 single-engine airplane, N8396D, owned and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near the Bartlesville Municipal Airport (BVO), near Bartlesville, Oklahoma. The instrument-rated commercial pilot and his passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the personal flight, which was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The local flight departed from BVO at 1108. In a written statement, the 3,767-hour pilot reported that he was "getting ready to make a 180-degree turn for a 45-degree entry to a right downwind for runway 17 at BVO when the engine started sputtering." He immediately reached down and turned the fuel selector from the "left main" tank to what he thought was the "auxiliary" tank position. Subsequently, the engine stopped producing power. He then switched the auxiliary fuel pump to the "on" position, thinking that the engine would resume running momentarily, but it did not. The pilot then looked to the airport and realized that he would not be able to make it to the runway. The pilot added that he began to look for a suitable location for a forced landing. The pilot extended the airplane's landing gear and elected to land in a an open pasture. After the airplane touched down in the pasture, he observed a ditch on his path that he was unable to avoid. Subsequently, the nose gear collapsed, and the airplane nosed over, coming to rest in an inverted position. After the accident, the pilot discovered that he had turned the fuel selector to the "off" position, instead of the "auxiliary" position. Post inspection of the airplane by the pilot revealed that the engine firewall sustained structural damage. At 1153, the automated weather observing system at BVO reported variable wind at three knots, 10 statute miles visibility, a clear sky, temperature 71 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 46 degrees Fahrenheit, and a barometric pressure setting of 30.26 inches of Mercury. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N8396D](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N8396D), registered now, S/N D-5510, built 1958 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Beech J35 - Registry model: [Beech J35](https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-j35) (registry code 1151522) (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-5510 - Engines: Continental IO-470C 250 hp reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Vance E. Rule - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: BVO, Bartlesville, OK - Airport: BVO, Bartlesville Municipal Airport, runway 17, 6,200 × 100 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 79; injuries: none; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review July 22, 2004; seat: left; flight hours: 3,767 total, 620 in this make and model, 3,767 as pilot in command, 3 in the last 90 days, 3 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: variable at 3 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 72 °F, dew point 46 °F - Altimeter: 30.26 inHg - Observed at: BVO ## 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 20050415006229A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050415006229A), Apr 15, 2005: Beech J35, Bartlesville, OK, Substantial damage. (-23) On April 15, 2005, pilot [privacy data omitted] departed Bartlesville, Oklahoma, (bvo) in a Beechcraft BE-35, N8396D, on a local flight, intending to… ## Other investigations on N8396D (1) 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. - [NTSB DEN67D0190](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN67D0190), Jan 14, 1967: Beech J35 (N8396D), Wagon Mound, NM, substantial damage 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.