# NTSB WPR19LA238: Beech 36, N134P, Half Moon Bay, CA, August 21, 2019 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report - Date: August 20, 2019, 17:54 local (Aug 21, 2019, 00:54 UTC) - Place: Half Moon Bay, CA - Coordinates: 37.357776, -122.512222 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.3578&lon=-122.5122&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Enroute-cruise: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Western Pacific Region - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 100137 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR19LA238 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/100137/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=100137 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR19LA238 ## Probable cause A total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Engine (reciprocating)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058500): Aircraft › Aircraft power plant · Failure (probable cause); cases with it: [Beech A36, 13 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058500/cases.md?model=1151604), [All aircraft, 497 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058500/cases.md) - [Aircraft](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01050000): Aircraft › Aircraft power plant · Unknown/Not determined (probable cause); cases with it: [Beech A36, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01050000/cases.md?model=1151604), [All aircraft, 151 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01050000/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Enroute-cruise: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) (defining event); cases with it: [Beech A36, 56 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md?model=1151604), [All aircraft, 3,820 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot reported that, on the morning of the accident, several preflight fuel samples from the airplane’s wing tanks contained debris, but he was eventually able to obtain clean fuel samples. He subsequently departed and made several stops at different airports before departing with another airplane as a flight of two for the purpose of taking photos. The pilot stated that he was performing a descending left turn when, about 3,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean, the engine lost total power but the propeller continued to windmill. The pilot was unable to restore engine power and ditched the airplane into the ocean. Immediately after impact, he and the passenger egressed and stood on the wing until the airplane sank into about 145 feet of water. The wreckage was not recovered and could not be examined; therefore, the reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined. ## Factual narrative On August 20, 2019, at 1754 Pacific daylight time, Beech A36 airplane, N134P, was destroyed when it descended into the Pacific Ocean near Half Moon Bay, California. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight. On the morning of the accident, the pilot performed a preflight inspection, during which he obtained fuel samples from the left and right fuel tanks. He stated that he had to drain fuel from each tank four to five times before the samples were free of “flakey black sediment.” He thought that this was more debris than usual but was not alarmed after he was able to obtain clean fuel samples. The pilot departed, picked up a passenger at Reid-Hillview Airport (RHV), San Jose, California, and continued to Monterey Regional Airport, Monterey, California, where he landed about 1200. After picking up the passenger, the pilot observed the fuel flow gauge showing an unstable flow oscillating and decreasing from 16 to 11 gallons per hour (gph). He switched the fuel boost pump to “LO,” which appeared to alleviate the problem. The pilot departed Monterey about 1550 and landed at 1600 on the turf runway at Monterey Bay Academy Airport, Watsonville, California. He subsequently departed about 1630 and landed at RHV to drop off one of his passengers. That passenger, who was also a pilot, was planning to fly a Cessna 182 in tandem with the accident airplane for the purpose of taking pictures of one another. A review of Federal Aviation Administration air traffic control (ATC) transcripts revealed that the accident airplane departed RHV about 1722 as a flight of two with the Cessna. At 1742, the pilot of the Cessna advised the controller that the airplanes were planning to descend below 1,000 feet mean sea level (msl) and may lose radio contact; controller advised that radar services were terminated and instructed the pilot to squawk VFR. The accident pilot stated that he was making a descending left turn when, about 3,000 feet msl, the engine became quieter and stopped producing power. The JPI Engine Monitor Display 700 indicated the exhaust gas temperatures (EGTs) were declining to 0° and the fuel flow was 0 gph. He switched the boost pump to “LO” for several seconds, and then “HI,” and then switched it back off. He manipulated the throttle, propeller, and mixture controls full forward, and about 500 feet agl, he positioned the fuel selector from the left to the right tank. The engine produced power momentarily before again losing total power. He stated that the propeller was windmilling and that there were no unusual vibrations, sounds, or odors. The pilot further stated that he communicated with the pilot of the Cessna about the engine failure, and he chose to ditch with the landing gear and flaps retracted. He configured the airplane into a level attitude about 10 feet above the water and waited for it to settle into the water. Immediately after impact, heand the passenger egressed with several items they wanted to salvage from the cockpit and stood on the wing until the airplane sank (an estimated 40 to 50 seconds). Just before the engine anomaly, the passenger took two cell phone videos, both of which were posted to social media. The last video was started at 1735:26, at a location 3 nautical miles north of the accident site, and captured 16 seconds of footage, showing the pilot making the left turn just before the engine lost power. A review of the video revealed that the JPI Fuel Scan 450 instrument showed 18.6 gph fuel flow rate; the left-wing fuel tank was about 3/8 full; the right-wing tank was 1/2 full; and the engine manifold pressure was 24 inches. The pilot of the Cessna contacted ATC at 1753 and advised the controller that the accident airplane was ditching into the water. Coast Guard rescue helicopters arrived about 1830. The depth of the water was about 145 feet, and the airplane wreckage was not recovered. The pilot stated that he purchased the airplane, serial number (s/n) E-1527, in June 2019. The airplane was equipped with a Continental Motors IO550-B, s/n 684026. The airplane had recently undergone maintenance, including the installation of 20-gallon D’Shannon wingtip fuel tanks on July 18, 2019. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N134P](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N134P-2022-11-05), registration cancelled 2022-11-05, S/N E-1527, built 1979 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Beech 36 (A36) - Registry model: [Beech A36](https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-a36) (registry code 1151604) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental IO-520 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-520-series) (registry code 17032, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: E-1527 - Year built: 1979 - Engines: Continental Motors IO-550-B 300 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Destroyed - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, March 20, 2019 - Departed: RHV, San Jose, CA - Destination: Half Moon Bay, CA - Flight plan: VFR - Equipment: Onboard weather, Auto-pilot, Electronic multifunction display, Handheld GPS ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 34; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine sea, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, without waivers/limitations; seat: left; restraint: 3-point; flight hours: 870 total, 20 in this make and model, 870 as pilot in command, 55 in the last 90 days, 35 in the last 30 days, 5 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 320° at 10 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 1,000 ft broken - Temperature: 63 °F, dew point 57 °F - Altimeter: 30.03 inHg - Observed at: KHAF, 9 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20190820017859A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20190820017859A), Aug 20, 2019: Beech A36, Half Moon Bay, CA, Destroyed. A Beech A36 single engine aircraft with two persons onboard successfully ditched into the pacific ocean approximately 3-4 miles south west of Half Moon Bay,… ## Docket (5 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 19, 2022, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=100137. 31.2 MB in all. - Pilot/operator aircraft accident report, NTSB form 6120.1 (item 1, PDF, 9 pages, 1.7 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=13864333&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=WPR19LA238%20Pilot%20Report_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Notes and record excerpts (item 2, PDF, 4 pages, 1.9 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=12311493&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Z%20-%20Attachment%2002%20-%20Records-Rel.pdf - Second to last video pior to engine failure (item 3, MOV, 5.7 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=8425173&FileExtension=mov&FileName=Second%20to%20Last%20Video%20Before%20Engine%20Failure-Rel.mov - Last video prior to engine failure- 1735 26 (iphone xs) 37A�21' 22.68'' n, 121A�57' 28.80'' w, 2335 MSL [20 secs] 61B (item 4, MOV, 4.5 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=8424209&FileExtension=mov&FileName=Last%20Video%20Before%20Engine%20Failure-Rel.mov - Airplane ditching- 1753 44 (iphone xs) 37A�19' 32.16'' n, 122A�24' 6.12'' w, 3044 MSL [20 secs] (item 5, MOV, 17.3 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=8436757&FileExtension=mov&FileName=Video%20of%20Airplane%20Ditching-Rel.mov From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.