WPR19TA162

During the daytime visual flight rules flight, the private pilot experienced engine trouble. He was able to keep the engine running utilizing the auxiliary fuel pump and diverted to the departure airport. The pilot was unable to make it to the airport and descended into a residential neighborhood where the airplane was substantially damaged when it struck a tree. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the main fuel tanks had a sufficient quantity of fuel and that the auxiliary fuel tank was nearly empty. The fuel selector valve handle was found in the auxiliary fuel tank position. It is likely the pilot did not position the fuel selector switch to one of the main fuel tanks prior to consuming all the useable fuel in the auxiliary tank. This omission likely resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

On June 8, 2019, about 1400 Pacific daylight time, a Beech 35 airplane, N602BH, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Rogue Valley International Airport (MFR), Medford, Oregon. The private pilot and his passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to a statement from the pilot and passenger taken by a local law enforcement official, after departing MFR, the pilot began having engine trouble and returned to MFR. During the return portion of the flight, the engine quit several times. The airplane descended and struck a tree in a residential neighborhood about 1 mile from runway 32. According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the passenger told him the pilot started having engine trouble and resorted to “pumping up and down on a device that kept the engine running.” He said when the pilot stopped pumping, the engine would quit and when he pumped, it would run. Examination of the airplane by an FAA inspector revealed the main tanks "had plenty of gas", the aux tank was "nearly empty", and the tank selector switch was found in the auxiliary fuel tank position. Despite multiple attempts, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge was unable to talk to the pilot regarding the accident and did not receive an NTSB Form 6120.1. A records search at Million Air, Medford recovered a fuel receipt for N602BH, dated for the same day as the accident, for 18.5 gallons of 100 low lead aviation gasoline.