WPR25FA090

On February 10, 2025, about 1455 mountain standard time, a Beech B24R airplane, N9324S, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Skull Valley, Utah. The flight instructor and student pilot were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. According to the flight instructor, he was hired to provide flight instruction to the airplane owner’s son. The flight instructor had no previous experience with the Beech 24R airplane. To prepare for the flight, the flight instructor read the Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH) for the Beech 24R and used a flight simulator program to learn more about the airplane. The flight instructor reported that the airplane was full of fuel for the flight, and the fuel selector valve handle was initially set to the right tank position. The instructor and student departed Spanish Fork Municipal Airport/Woodhouse Field (SPK) Spanish Fork, Utah, about 1309 and flew the airplane west of the airport. The flight instructor stated that, about 20 minutes into the flight, he switched the fuel selector valve handle from the right fuel tank to the left fuel tank, and he recalled ensuring that the fuel selector valve handle was touching the metal stop. The flight instructor said that he explained the procedure to the student pilot twice but recalled moving the fuel selector valve handle only once, to the left tank. ADS-B data showed that, for the first hour of the flight, the airplane maneuvered west of SPK and Utah Lake. That portion of the flight consisted of maneuvers that included multiple turns, climbs, and descents. The flight instructor reported that, during this period, they experienced “a minor communication issue” during which the intercom was intermittent and there was “a fair amount of static noise.” After troubleshooting the issue, the flight instructor developed a workaround by having the student pilot connect his headset plug to a communication jack for the rear seat. Additionally, during this period of the flight, the student pilot began to experience motion sickness, so the flight instructor had the student pilot focus on the horizon and perform shallow banks and descents while relocating the airplane to the northwest about 35 miles, near Tooele, Utah, where the air was smoother. The student pilot began to feel better, so they continued with flight training maneuvers. ADS-B data showed that, for the last 30 minutes of the flight, the airplane was operating in the vicinity of Tooele-Bolinder Field/Tooele Valley Airport (TVY) Tooele, Utah. The flight instructor said that, while the student was flying the airplane about 8,500 ft to 9,000 ft mean sea level (msl), the flight instructor heard the engine “make a strange noise,” and he felt a jolt. He described that the event was not a gradual loss of power but that the engine suddenly windmilled. The flight instructor took the flight controls and made an immediate turn to the southwestaway from mountainous terrain. The ADS-B data showed that the turn began about 1450. He said that he pitched for best glide speed of 91 kts and referenced the emergency checklist, which included applying full rich mixture and ensuring that the fuel boost pump was on. He said that he switched fuel tanks and tried each magneto individually, but those actions had no effect on the engine power. The flight instructor selected an off-airport landing site near an interstate. He stated that, during the descent, he observed inaccuracies in the electric airspeed indicator and electric heading indicator readings, so he relied on the backup airspeed indicator during the descent. He stated that he also broadcast a “mayday” report on the TVY common traffic advisory frequency and set the transponder to 7700. Once landing was assured, the flight instructor lowered the landing gear but did not extend the flaps. On roll out, the airplane impacted vegetation and terrain, yawed to the left about 90°, and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and empennage. The last ADS-B data point, recorded about 1454, showed the airplane about 2,060 ft northwest of the accident site. The airplane came to rest upright in an open area covered with vegetation. The left main landing gear and the left-wing flap separated from the fuselage, but most of the airframe remained intact. Examination of the fuel tanks on the following day revealed that the left-wing fuel tank was nearly full of fuel, and the right-wing fuel tank contained no fuel that was visible from the filler port. The airplane was recovered to a secure facility for further examination. According to the recovery agent, about 25 gallons of fuel were drained from the left tank, and about 2 gallons of fuel were drained from the right tank. According to the POH, each wing tank held a maximum of 29.9 gallons with about 3.8 gallons unusable per tank. Examination of the airframe revealed that the fuel tank selector valve, which was equipped with valve guards to prevent inadvertent selection of the Off position, operated normally in the Left, Right, and Off positions. A check of the fuel lines revealed no obstruction of the left and right wing tanks to the gascolator. The gascolator and fuel lines to the fuel servo were unobstructed. Examination of the engine revealed minor damage. The airplane was then secured to facilitate an engine test run. During the test run, the engine operated normally from idle to a maximum speed of 2,500 to 2,600 rpm. A test of the magnetos revealed normal rpm drops. Postaccident examination of the airplane and engine revealed no mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation.