Fuel Exhaustion & Starvation · NTSB CEN17FA364
BEECH C35 — Camden, AR
| Date | September 24, 2017 |
| Location | Camden, AR |
| Aircraft | BEECH C35 |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Prior to flight Aircraft inspection event |
| Pilot age | 42 |
| Pilot total time | 2,616 hrs · Experienced |
| Time in type | 440 hrs |
| Fatalities | 2 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Angle of attack-Not attained/maintained - C
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained - C
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Inspection-Preflight inspection-Pilot - F
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-(general)-Pilot - F
- Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid management - F
- Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Misc hardware-(general)-Incorrect use/operation - F
What happened
After refueling the airplane, the pilot and the pilot-rated passenger took off in the airplane to return to the pilot's home airport. During the initial climb, the airplane accelerated to about 67 knots and reached an altitude of about 170 ft above ground level before it began to slow and lose altitude, consistent with a loss of engine power. Although more than 2,300 ft of relatively level grassy terrain suitable for an emergency landing remained ahead of the airplane, the pilot made a left turn back toward the departure end of the runway. During the turn, the airplane entered a steep left spiral, impacted the ground, and caught fire.
The airplane's left main fuel tank cap was found on the left side of the runway about 1,000 ft from the threshold and 4,500 ft from the main wreckage. The cap's locking lever was engaged, and it showed no fire or impact damage. The fuel selector valve was found positioned to the right main fuel tank feed position. Flight control continuity was confirmed, and no other preimpact anomalies were found. According to the pilot operating handbook for the airplane, the fuel selector should be on the left main fuel tank for takeoff. It is likely that the left main fuel tank cap was not secured after the airplane was refueled and fell off the airplane's left wing onto the runway during the takeoff. Without the cap in place, fuel escaped from the left main fuel tank and subsequently starved the engine of fuel during the climb, resulting in the power loss. The pilot likely switched the fuel selector to the right main fuel tank in an attempt to restart the engine. When the pilot tried to turn back to the airport, he failed to maintain a safe airspeed, and the airplane exceeded its critical angle of attack and entered an aerodynamic stall.