- Date
- January 25, 1992, 13:25 local (20:25 UTC)
- Place
- Albuquerque, NM
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N88ESBeech A36
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920125001949A
- Case key
- 18437
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot in command failed to properly monitor the fuel consumption rate of the airplane when he perceived that it might be higher than normal. The engine failure was a result of fuel exhaustion, aggravated by possible fuel siphoning from the tanks.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The airplane was damaged when it collided with rough, soft terrain and the gear collapsed during a forced landing on a dirt road. The forced landing was executed following a power loss due to fuel exhaustion while the airplane was descending to land at its destination. No fuel was found in the system following the accident and no fuel stains were found on the airplane. The PIC stated that the estimated time en route had extended from two hours and forty five minutes to three hours and thirty six mintes, but that the fuel gauges read empty and one quarter full when he arrived in the area of his destination. The pilot stated that he thought that he had a hanging main gear door and it created a low pressure area near the fuel tank vents which pressurized the fuel tanks and caused siphoning. The fuel consumption rate for the outbound flight had been 12.3 gph and the return flight fuel consumption was 15.8 gph at, according to the pilot, the same power settings.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N88ES
- Reported as
- Beech A36
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- E-758
- Airframe hours
- 5,878
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-BB12, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Loren Kula, Et Al
- Registered owner
- Loren Kula, Et Al
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 28, 1991 · 73 hours before
- Departed
- P06 · Bullhead City, AZ
- Flight plan
- VFR
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 59
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 11,336 total · 700 in this make and model · 11,300 as pilot in command · 115 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 32 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ABQ, 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.