ERA23LA119

According to the pilot, he was on a local flight at an altitude of 1,000 ft when he noticed the engine starting to lose power. The pilot said he switched fuel tanks, but engine power was not regained. The pilot conducted an emergency landing on a road and the airplane collided with a bus and then a pole. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the fuel tanks were intact, and that the left fuel only contained a residual amount of fuel, while about 10 gallons of fuel remained in the right fuel tank. An engine test run was then attempted at the accident site, and the engine ran normally using the right fuel tank but did not run consistently with the left fuel tank selected. Based on this information, it is likely that the pilot mismanaged the airplane’s fuel supply and starved the engine of fuel, which resulted in the total loss of engine power and subsequent forced landing.

On January 28, 2023, about 1720 eastern standard time, a Beech A23, N16TH, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Miami, Florida. The pilot and three passengers were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, he was on a local flight at an altitude of 1,000 ft, for about 1 hour 20 minutes, when he noticed the engine starting to lose power. He switched tanks to regain power, but stated, “unfortunately that did not help.” He determined that a nearby road would be the safest place to land and started his approach. During the landing flare the airplane impacted a bus and skidded off the road, subsequently colliding with a pole before coming to rest. The pilot reported that he departed with 25 gallons of fuel total. Examination of the airplane revealed the right wing sustained substantial damage to the leading edge. Initial examination of the (intact) fuel tanks revealed that the right fuel gauge contained some fuel while the left fuel tank appeared empty. An engine test run was then attempted at the accident site. During the first start up, the right fuel tank was selected. The fuel boost pump was turned “ON”, and the engine was started and ran normally between 1,200 and 1,500 rpm. The engine was shut down and then restarted using the left fuel tank. The fuel boost pump was turned “ON” and, once started, the engine struggled while idling between 600 to 800 rpm and would then stop. The right fuel tank was then defueled and about 10 gallons of fuel was recovered. Only a residual amount of fuel was recovered from the left tank. No other anomalies were discovered within the fuel system.