- Date
- April 17, 1993, 07:20 local (14:20 UTC)
- Place
- Aguila, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N9203SBeech B24R
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 19, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930417009819A
- Case key
- 27960
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 loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. The fuel starvation was caused by the pilot's failure to select a tank containing fuel and the intermittent operation of the electric boost pump due to a faulty cockpit switch. A factor in the accident was the inadequate maintenance and inspection of the aircraft.
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 engine quit during the takeoff initial climb and the aircraft collided with a ditch during a forced landing attempt beyond the airport boundary. An FAA airworthiness inspector examined the aircraft and interviewed the pilots and witnesses to the accident. The pilots had reportedly switched fuel tanks shortly before the engine quit. The inspector stated that the right fuel tank contained about three quarters capacity of fuel while the left fuel tank was empty. The electric boost pump was found to function intermittently due to a faulty cockpit switch. According to the maintenance records, the aircraft had an annual inspection in 1984 and was subsequently parked and not flown until after the most recent annual, which was signed off in the logbooks on March 1, 1993.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9203S
- Reported as
- Beech B24R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- MC 373
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Beauford A. Robbins
- Registered owner
- Beauford A. Robbins
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 1, 1993 · 15 hours before
- Departed
- 7E0
- Destination
- 7E0
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
- 81
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 31,000 total · 1 in this make and model · 26 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.