Summary
On August 05, 1997, a Beech V35B (N9236Q) was involved in an accident near Tullahoma, TN. The accident resulted in 1 serious injury, with 1 person uninjured out of 2 aboard. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: The pilot's improper procedure by not placing the fuel selector on the tank with the most fuel, which resulted in fuel starvation, a forced landing, and impact with a tree.
On August 5, 1997, about 1230 eastern standard time, a Beech V35B, N9236Q, registered to a private owner, crashed while on approach near Tullahoma, Tennessee. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. The private-rated pilot reported serious injuries, and one passenger was not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged.
This accident is documented in NTSB report MIA97LA227. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N9236Q.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
the pilot's improper procedure by not placing the fuel selector on the tank with the most fuel, which resulted in fuel starvation, a forced landing, and impact with a tree.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On August 5, 1997, about 1230 eastern standard time, a Beech V35B, N9236Q, registered to a private owner, crashed while on approach near Tullahoma, Tennessee. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. The private-rated pilot reported serious injuries, and one passenger was not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The flight had originated from Elkhart, Indiana, at 0945.
The pilot stated that after entering the airport traffic pattern for landing on runway 36, he went through the landing procedures, but said "[for] some unknown reason I still did not switch [fuel] tanks." He turned the airplane onto final approach, lowered the landing gear, selected 10 degrees of flaps, and was at a speed of "90 miles per hour." He further stated, "...about 100 yards from touch down...the engine cut out. I realized my error and switched to the full [fuel] tank, but the engine did not fire." The airplane was "low and slow," but the pilot thought he could still make the runway. The airplane struck the top of a tree and fell to the ground. The pilot stated in the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, "...this accident could have been avoided by following 'GUMP' [gas-under carriage-mixture-prop] to the letter."
Examination of the wreckage revealed that both fuel tanks were breached, and fuel was not observed in either tank. The fuel selector was found in the left tank position
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# MIA97LA227