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| Date: | Wednesday 7 August 2024 |
| Time: | 15:44 |
| Type: |  Beechcraft 23 Muskeeter |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N2376L |
| MSN: | M-212 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1963 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Herlong Recreational Airport (HEG/KHEG), Jacksonville, FL -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Jacksonville-Herlong Airport, FL (KHEG) |
| Jacksonville-Herlong Airport, FL (KHEG) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On August 7, 2024, at 1544 eastern daylight time, a Beech 23, N2376L, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Jacksonville, Florida. The private pilot and pilot-rated passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot reported that the purpose of the flight was to fly in the traffic pattern to see if the engine was leaking oil, as he had recently observed trace amounts of oil in the cowling. After completing a normal preflight inspection and an engine run-up the pilot took off and completed one traffic pattern circuit overflying the runway. He climbed back to traffic pattern altitude and made an approach to the runway with the intent to land. The pilot reported that the airplane seemed slow as he approached the runway numbers, so he increased the throttle; however, the engine rpm decreased to near idle. He continued to report that, about 20 ft above ground level, the airplane dropped to the runway and landed hard on the runway centerline. The left main landing gear separated and the airplane skidded to a stop in the grass to the left of the runway. The left wing and fuselage received substantial damage.
A postaccident examination of the airplane and engine, which included a successful test run of the engine, did not reveal evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Following the accident, the fuel selector was found selected to the intact right wing fuel tank, which contained about 3 gallons of fuel. The left wing fuel tank contained about 9 gallons of fuel. According to the pilot operating handbook for the accident airplane, each fuel tank contained 3.8 gallons of unusable fuel. Based on this information, it is likely that the total loss of engine power was the result of fuel starvation.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s improper inflight fuel management, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation while on final approach to land, and the subsequent hard landing, which resulted in separation of the airplane’s landing gear.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=194868
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 20-Aug-2024 18:43 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 11-Apr-2025 22:22 | Captain Adam | Updated [Source, Narrative, Photo, ] |
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