- Date
- June 28, 1992, 19:30 local (Jun 29, 1992, 02:30 UTC)
- Place
- Brawley, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1794WBeech A36
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920628022689A
- Case key
- 27667
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
Fuel starvation due to the pilot's; 1) failure to refuel the aircraft, 2) improper use of the fuel system, and 3) his delayed positioning of the fuel selector valve to a tank containing fuel. A factor in the accident was the pilot's failure to adhere to the procedures specified in the aircraft flight manual.
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 aircraft was at 4,000 feet descending toward the airport when the pilot intentionally ran the right fuel tank dry, then switched to the left tank. The pilot could not affect an engine restart and the aircraft landed in a plowed field about 2 miles short of the airport and encountered soft earth which sheared the landing gear off the aircraft, damaging the wings. FAA inspectors found that the right fuel tank contained less than 1 gallon while the left tank held 10 gallons. Each of the fuel tanks holds 40 gallons total. The flight manual for the aircraft cautions against takeoffs, landings or maneuvering with less than one quarter of fuel in the tank selected. The fuel pick up ports were noted to be in the rear corner of each fuel tank. The fuel system was functionally tested with no abnormality in system function found. The pilot stated that he made two trips between Brawley and san diego without refueling the aircraft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1794W
- Reported as
- Beech A36
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- E380
- Airframe hours
- 1,871
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-BA2, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Clyde E. Shields, doing business as Clyde Shields Entomological Sv
- Registered owner
- Clyde Shields Entomological Sv
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 4, 1992 · 9 hours before
- Departed
- MYF · San Diego, CA
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
- 61
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,598 total · 986 in this make and model · 3,598 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 100 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.