- Date
- March 9, 1993, 19:11 local (Mar 10, 1993, 00:11 UTC)
- Place
- Village Of Golf, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6998QBeech B23
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report February 10, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930309004639A
- Case key
- 33239
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's improper movement of the fuel selector valve resulting in fuel starvation, forced landing, and an in-flight collision with terrain.
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 pilot was conducting a night cross-country flight at 2,000 feet AGL. The pilot switched the fuel tanks, and a short time later experienced a sudden drop in engine RPM. The pilot reported the emergency to palm beach tower, and received vectors to the nearest airport. The pilot verified the position of the magnetos, turned the fuel pump on, moved the mixture to full rich, and switched the fuel tanks. A pilot-rated passenger located in a rear passenger seat shouted the emergency procedures to the pilot. The pilot switched the fuel tanks again, and conducted a forced landing into a residential area. Examination of the airplane wreckage by the FAA, and the palm beach sheriff's department revealed the fuel selector handle was found in the 12 o'clock position in between the left and right main tank position.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6998Q
- Reported as
- Beech B23
- Category
- Airplane
- Airframe hours
- 3,445
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A2G, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- 908 Flying Club, Inc.
- Registered owner
- 908 Flying Club Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 25, 1993 · 14 hours before
- Departed
- FPR · Fort Pierce, FL
- Destination
- OPF · Opa Locka, FL
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
- 18
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 113 total · 14 in this make and model · 74 as pilot in command · 44 in the last 90 days · 27 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 360° at 5 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PBI, 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.