ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 45042
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| Date: | Sunday 19 October 2003 |
| Time: | 16:25 |
| Type: |  Beechcraft 35-C33 Debonair |
| Owner/operator: | Vtb-fliers Llc |
| Registration: | N9438S |
| MSN: | CD-1004 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 8615 hours |
| Engine model: | Teledyne Continental IO-470-N |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Mesquite, NV -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Las Vegas, NV (HND) |
| Mesquite, NV (67L) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The airplane collided with terrain about 100 yards from the airport boundary fence at the approach end of runway 19. One of the airplane's owners completed a 1.4-hour flight with the certified flight instructor (CFI) immediately before the accident flight. He started with 30 gallons in each main tank and 6 gallons in each tip tank. He said that they burned fuel out of the left main tank during the flight at a rate of about 13 gallons per hour. He left the fuel selector valve on the left main tank. After the owner's flight with the CFI, he observed the pilot under instruction and the CFI do a walk around inspection of the airplane. He did not see them refuel. After a ground briefing, they did a 15- to 20-minute run up before taking off. Based on the airplane's performance charts, the estimated time from the departure point to the accident site was 30 minutes. Based on the owner's historical fuel consumption, the estimated minimum fuel consumed on the accident flight would have been 7 gallons in addition to the estimated 19 gallons used by the owner on the previous flight. The left wing did not burn; however, the left main tank had been compromised in the impact sequence. Fire consumed the right wing and its associated fuel tanks. The propeller exhibited minimal damage, consistent with either no power or idle power at ground impact. The airplane had a single throw over control yoke, and it was to the left side. The landing gear was down, and the flaps were in the full down position. The fuel selector valve was on the left main tank. No preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures were identified during the wreckage examination.
Probable Cause: fuel starvation due to the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning and fuel system management, and failure to select a fuel tank containing fuel. Also causal was the certified flight instructor's inadequate supervision.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20031023X01802&key=1
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Oct-2008 00:45 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:24 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 08-Dec-2017 19:59 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative] |
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