N5554D

On July 5, 1998, at 2125 central daylight time, a Beech H35 single engine airplane, N5554D, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power after takeoff from the Harrison County Airport, near Marshall, Texas. The airplane was registered to a private individual. The instrument rated private pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. The flight originated from the Gregg County Airport, Longview, Texas, at 1845.

The pilot reported in the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2) that he flew the airplane from the Gregg County Airport to the Harrison County Airport, a 22 nautical mile leg, to practice landings. He performed one touch and go landing and departed from runway 15. The airplane was approximately 500 feet AGL and two miles from the airport, banking left from the crosswind leg to the downwind leg, when the "engine quit."

He lowered the nose of the airplane to attain the "best glide," and banked the airplane to the left towards the runway. As the airplane was passing over trees, the right wing contacted a tree branch, and subsequently, the airplane spun in a clockwise direction. The pilot applied left rudder to align the airplane with the axis of the runway. The airplane contacted the ground in a wings level, "slightly" pitch up attitude, and slid approximately 45 feet before coming to rest upright on grassy terrain, adjacent to the east side of the runway. The pilot switched the fuel selector valve to the off position and exited the airplane. The pilot did not state in the Pilot/Operator report which position the fuel selector valve was in at the time of the loss of engine power.

According to the Pilot/Operator Report the pilot had accumulated a total flight time of 800 hours, of which 13 hours were in the accident make and model airplane.

An FAA inspector examined the airplane at the site. He stated that the engine firewall was bent forward and the empennage was bent downward approximately "10 degrees." He added that the fuel selector was observed in the "OFF" position and the fuel quantity indicator selector was observed in the "RIGHT MAIN FUEL TANK" position. The inspector checked the level of fuel in each of the airplane's four fuel tanks. The right main wing fuel tank and both auxiliary fuel tanks were full. The left main wing fuel tank contained "minimal fuel." He added that "no leaks were found." Furthermore, the fuel line leading to the engine driven fuel pump was removed and revealed no evidence of fuel. The fuel valve selector was positioned to the "RIGHT MAIN FUEL TANK" position and fuel was manually pumped through the line. Normal fuel flow was observed and "no apparent malfunctions in the right fuel tank or lines to the engine were evident."

A fuel receipt, dated June 30, 1998, indicates that the airplane was filled with 26.6 gallons of 100LL fuel. The airplane's fuel capacity is 39 gallons. The fuel system for this 1957 model airplane requires that the pilot select the tank from which to draw fuel to feed the engine on one switch, and select the tank for which to read the quantity of fuel from on a separate switch.