- Date
- March 15, 1985, 12:12 local (19:12 UTC)
- Place
- Scottsdale, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5539DBeech H35
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850315009749A
- Case key
- 24676
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
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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 plt & pax departed phoenix sky harbor on a sales demo flt & landed nearby at falcon fld. During the return flt, the eng lost power as the plt began descending from 3800'. He noted there was no fuel flow, so he used the wobble pump. The plt said he was unable to obtain fuel pressure, so he moved the fuel selector to the left main tank. However, he was still unable to get fuel pressure. The plt stated he 'tried unsuccessfully several times to restart, switching tanks, pumping the wobble pump, with the mixture rich, but was unable to restart engine.' Subsequently, he made a wheels-up landing in a cotton fld, but the acft hit an irrigation ditch during the landing. The fuel selector was found positionedto the r main tank which had only a trace of fuel remaining. Some fuel was found remaining in the l main & aux tanks. No fuel was found in the carburetor. The fuel indicator selector was found positioned to the left tank position. No preimpact part failure or malfunction was found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5539D
- Reported as
- Beech H35
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- D5094
- Airframe hours
- 3,785
- Engine
- Continental O-470-G, 240 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Robert L. Wofford
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 12, 1984 · 6 hours before
- Departed
- FFZ · Mesa, AZ
- Destination
- PHX · Phoenix, AZ
- Airport
- SDL · Scottsdale Muni
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 46
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,300 total · 450 in this make and model · 5,300 as pilot in command · 80 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 45 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 12,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PHX, 11 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.