# NTSB FTW02LA008: Beech C90, N690JP, Dallas, TX, October 9, 2001 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: October 9, 2001, 13:22 local (18:22 UTC) - Place: Dallas, TX - Coordinates: 32.849655, -96.829643 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.8497&lon=-96.8296&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Approach](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/500) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious - Status: Completed, report July 2, 2002 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 53584 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=FTW02LA008 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/53584/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW02LA008 ## Probable cause the pilot's failure to refuel the airplane, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and subsequent loss of dual engine power while on approach. ## Analysis The commercial pilot flew the airplane on a cross-country flight of at least 2 hours and 47 minutes before dropping of his passengers, and flew back for 2 hours and 7 minutes without refueling. The pilot reported that as the airplane turned onto final approach, the right engine began to surge. He reduced the power on the right engine and increased power on the left, but the airplane started to roll right so he elected to reduce the power on the left engine and land in an alley. Prior to impacting wires, the pilot retracted the landing gear and brought the condition levers to "cut-off." A witness observed the airplane prior to impact and noted that the "motor wasn't on." The airplane impacted power lines, a tree, a natural gas meter, two residences, and a fence. The fuel tanks were compromised during the impact sequence, and the fire department sprayed the area with fire retardant foam. A test of the water runoff revealed "negative results for petroleum risk." Examination of both engines' fuel lines between their respective firewalls and fuel heaters, and fuel pumps and fuel control units revealed that they were void of fuel. ## Factual narrative HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 9, 2001, at 1322 central daylight time, a Beech C90 (King Air) twin-turboprop airplane, N690JP, was substantially damaged when it impacted a residential area during a forced landing following a loss of engine power while on approach to the Dallas Love Airport, Dallas, Texas. The airplane was registered to J & D Aircraft Sales LLC of Pasco, Washington. The airplane was operated by private individuals, who were in the process of purchasing the aircraft. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant, sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 business flight. The cross-country flight originated from Taos, New Mexico, at 1115 (2 hours and 7 minutes prior to the accident). According to reports from Dallas Love Air Traffic Control Tower, the flight was on a visual approach to runway 13L. When the airplane was on final approach, the controller noticed the airplane in "level flight descending out of sight behind hangars." The controller asked the pilot if he was experiencing a problem; however, the controller did not receive a reply. The airplane descended into a residential area where it struck power lines, a tree, a natural gas meter, two private residences, and a fence. According to an FAA inspector, who responded to the accident site, the flight departed from Dallas Love Airport at 0757 on the morning of the accident after the pilot had the fuel tanks topped off with 244 gallons of fuel. Air traffic control data indicated that the airplane descended from radar coverage into Taos at 1044 (2 hours and 47 minutes after departure). According to service personnel in Taos, the airplane was on the ground for approximately 15 minutes, and departed for Dallas with just the pilot on board. An FAA inspector, who interviewed the pilot on October 10, 2001, stated that the pilot reported that while the airplane was on base leg to runway 13L at Dallas Love, the right engine began to surge. The pilot turned on the boost pumps and retracted the landing gear. The pilot reported that the right engine lost total power and the airplane's airspeed was approaching the minimum controllable airspeed (Vmc); therefore, he reduced power on the left engine and attempted a forced landing to the residential area. In a written statement, submitted to the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC) on January 4, 2002, the pilot reported that the return flight from Taos was uneventful until the flight approached Wichita Falls, Texas, when the pilot noticed that the right hand fuel gauge "spiked to zero and returned to its previous indication." The pilot reported that the "anomaly happened twice and did not occur again for the remainder of the flight." He added that the flight continued "normally" until the airplane turned onto short final for runway 13L. The right engine "began to surge violently, so [he] brought the power back and increased power to the left engine. This made the airplane aircraft roll to the right, so [he] brought [the left] engine back as well." The pilot realized that the airplane would not make it to the runway and he looked for a place to land. The pilot found an alley in a residential area and attempted to land there. He stated that the airplane was about to impact the power lines, so he "retracted the landing gear, brought the condition levers back to cut-off, and kept flying until [he] blacked out." One witness, who was located in the residential area, stated that she heard a "crackling sound," which caused her to look up and see the airplane "barely hitting the electric tower. The motor wasn't on." She added that one of the wings clipped a television satellite dish and the side of a house. The aircraft continued across the street and impacted a garage and a tree where it came to rest. Another witness, who was also located in the residential area, stated that he noticed the airplane flying very low. He observed the airplane impact electrical wires with the lower left wing and "sparks flew everywhere." The airplane then disappeared from his view. He added that he thought the "engines were missing or sputtering." PERSONNEL INFORMATION The commercial pilot held a second class medical certificate without limitations that was issued on May 25, 2001. The pilot reported having accumulated approximately 7,000 total flight hours, of which 5,000 hours were in multi-engine airplanes and 100 hours were in the same make and model as the accident airplane. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The aircraft was equipped with two 550 shaft-horsepower Pratt & Whitney PT6A-21 engines. Review of maintenance records revealed that the aircraft underwent Phase 2 and Phase 3 inspections in accordance with the Beech King Air inspection procedures on April 27, 2001, at an aircraft total time of 7,325.2 hours. At the time of the last inspection, the engines had accumulated a total of 7,325.2 hours, and had accumulated 3,892.2 and 3,669.8 hours since the last overhaul on the left and right engines, respectively. The left and right engines had accumulated 1,405.2 and 1,182.8 hours since their last hot section inspections, respectively. During the aircraft's last inspection, McCauley 4-bladed propellers were installed in accordance with Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) SA1241GL at propeller total times of 50.8 hours for both the left and right propellers. At the time of the accident, the airplane had accumulated a total of 7,356 hours. According to the King Air C90 Pilot Operating Handbook fuel system description, "the fuel system consists of two separate systems connected by a crossfeed system. Fuel for each engine is supplied from a nacelle tank and four interconnected wing tanks for a total of 192 gallons of usable fuel for each side with all tanks full. The outboard wing tanks supply the center section wing tank by gravity flow. The nacelle tank draws its fuel supply from the center section tank. Since the center section tank is lower than the other wing tanks and the nacelle tank, the fuel is transferred to the nacelle tank by the fuel transfer pump in the low spot of the center section tank. Each system has two filler openings, one in the nacelle tank and one in the leading edge tank. To assure that the system is properly filled, service the nacelle tank first, then the wing tanks." In written statements provided by the fueling service in Dallas, the aircraft refueling personnel, who fueled the airplane on the morning of the accident, stated that they filled the nacelle fuel tanks prior to filling the wing fuel tanks. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION The airplane came to rest upright in the yard of a residence. A tree was crushed under the belly of the aircraft. Review of photographs taken at the accident site revealed that the airplane's wings, outboard of both engines, sustained impact damage, which compromised the fuel system. The propellers remained attached to the engines. The left and right propeller blades were intact and attached to the propeller hubs and were bent and twisted. The engines remained attached to their wings; however, they were deflected downward. The left horizontal stabilizer was torn from its attachment fitting. FAA inspectors arrived at the accident site at 1415, and documented the cockpit. Cockpit documentation revealed that the fuel boost and transfer pumps were in the OFF position, the power levers were in the mid-range position, the propeller levers were in the full forward position, and the condition levers were at the low idle position. The rudder trim was set in the neutral position, the aileron trim was found in the maximum (5 degrees) right wing down trim, and the elevator trim was set at a 7 degree up position. The aircraft was transported to Air Salvage of Dallas, Lancaster, Texas, for furthe ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical, approach - vfr pattern - final approach - 2 engines - fluid,fuel - exhaustion (cause) - refueling - not performed, pilot in command (cause) - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - In flight collision with object, emergency descent/landing - object - wire,transmission - object - tree(s) - object - residence - object - fence - object - other ## Aircraft - Registration: [N690JP](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N690JP-2002-11-04), registration cancelled 2002-11-04, S/N LJ-690, built 1976 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Beech C90 - Registry model: [Beech C90](https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-c90) (registry code 1152913) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: LJ-690 - Airframe hours: 2356.4 - Engines: P&W PT6A-21 550 horsepower turbo prop; P&W PT6A-21 550 horsepower turbo prop - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Business, Part 91 - Operator: George Reynolds & Peter Baldwin - Registered owner: J & D Aircraft Sales LLC - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Continuous airworthiness, April 27, 2001, 30.8 hours before - Departed: SKX, Taos, TX - Destination: DAL, Dallas, TX - Flight plan: IFR - Airport: DAL, Dallas Love Field, runway 13L, 9,000 × 200 ft, concrete ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 36; injuries: serious; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; last flight review July 1, 2001; seat: left; flight hours: 7,000 total, 100 in this make and model, 6,000 as pilot in command, 250 in the last 90 days, 90 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 150° at 19 knots, gusting 22 - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 8,000 ft broken - Temperature: 75 °F, dew point 70 °F - Altimeter: 29.97 inHg - Observed at: DAL, 1 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 20011009033519A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20011009033519A), Oct 9, 2001: Beech C90, Dallas, TX, No damage. (-23) On October 9, 2001, at 1322 CDT, N690JP, a Beechcraft, model C90, while on approximately a one mile approach to runway 13L at love field, Dallas, Texas… 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.