- Date
- January 20, 1993, 18:05 local (Jan 21, 1993, 02:05 UTC)
- Place
- Tulare, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N595BBeech A35
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report May 4, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930120000609A
- Case key
- 27821
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 installation of an unapproved wing tip fuel tank system; an inadequate annual inspection which did not note, or correct, the unapproved fuel system addition; a wing tank fuel selector valve installation without adequate placards to show position or operation; and incorrect instructions to the pilots by the owner and mechanic on positioning fuel selector valves which led to inadvertent mispositioning by the pilots and subsequent fuel starvation. In addition, the pilot at the controls failed to maintain adequate airspeed following the power loss which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin. A factor which contributed to the loss of control was the dark night light condition.
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 CFI in the right seat was giving dual to the left seat CFI, who had no experience in type. During the initial climb, at about 400-500 ft AGL, witnesses heard the engine lose power or surge. The airplane was seen to roll to one side and descend steeply to impact. The airplane had been extensively modified with an unapproved wing tip fuel tank system addition. The fuel selector valve for the tip tanks did not have any placards showing position or operation. Both cfi's had been given incorrect instructions on how to position the fuel system selector valves by the owner and a mechanic who signed off the annual inspection. Post-crash examination revealed that the standard factory fuel selector was in the aux position, and the tip tanks fuel selector valve was in a half-on/half-off position. The airplane also had a powerplant modification for increased horsepower and other airframe modifications, not all of which were documented or approved. This was the first flight since the annual inspection.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N595B
- Reported as
- Beech A35
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- D-1616
- Airframe hours
- 4,950
- Engine
- Continental E-225-8, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Rent And Lease Programs
- Registered owner
- Rent And Lease Programs
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 29, 1992 · 1 hours before
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
- 41
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 7,100 total · 44 in this make and model · 117 in the last 90 days · 34 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- VIS, 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.