VAN NUYS, CA, USA
N15278
BEECH A36
The 70-hour student pilot was returning from a night cross-country flight when his home base airport went IFR. He diverted to another airport where the tower was closed. While descending in a 360-degree turn to lose altitude the engine quit. After switching tanks and turning the boost pump on he got a brief restart. After it quit again he switched tanks without a restart. Unable to reach the airport he descended into an unlighted spot in a residential area with the gear down and approach flaps. The airplane collided with trees into a residential backyard. According to the pilot's computer generated flight plan, he should have had 12.7 gallons of useable fuel remaining between the two stock fuel tanks. His electronic fuel computers non-volatile memory indicated 15.5 gallons remaining. There were minimal signs of fuel remaining at the accident scene. The student pilot had not been endorsed for the cross-country flight.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On September 27, 1995, at 2348 hours Pacific daylight time, a Beech A36, N15278, collided with trees and residential property during an attempted forced landing in Van Nuys, California. The forced landing was precipitated by a loss of engine power while the aircraft was approaching the landing pattern at the Van Nuys airport. The aircraft was owned and operated by the pilot, and was on a solo instructional night cross-country flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the operation. The aircraft was substantially damaged and the student pilot, the sole occupant, sustained minor injuries. There were no ground injuries. The flight originated at Stockton, California, at 2120 as the return portion of a solo cross-country flight from Torrance, California, to Stockton. In an interview, the pilot stated that he departed the Torrance airport at 1340 and landed in Stockton about 1500. The aircraft was not refueled. The student said that previous trips he had made from Torrance to Stockton took elapsed times of 1 hour 45 minutes to 1 hour 50 minutes each way. Based upon his computations, the student stated that he should have had a total of 13 to 14 gallons of fuel remaining in the tanks at the time of the accident. The pilot stated that the Beech fuel gauges were inaccurate and he preferred to use an electronic fuel flow/totalizer system to determine the amount of fuel remaining. The pilot provided a computer generated flight plan for the route of flight. The flight plan indicated 12.7 gallons of fuel would be remaining at the termination of the flight plan route. When the aircraft arrived over the Torrance airport, the pilot found fog and low stratus clouds covering the field. The student stated that at that time the fuel gage needles were at the top of the yellow caution arc. He then diverted to Van Nuys. The pilot stated; "as i was descending and was certain i was out of class B airspace, i started a slow 360 turn for altitude. It was my intention to lose some altitude then enter on a 90 degree for right traffic on 16R". While turning away from the airport the engine quit. The pilot said he changed fuel tanks, engaged the fuel pump, and attempted a restart. The pilot did get a brief restart for a few seconds. After the engine quit for a second time, the pilot again switched tanks but the engine failed to restart. PERSONNEL INFORMATION According to pilot logbook copies obtained from the FAA coordinator, the pilot started flight training on June 6, 1995. The pilot obtained a third-class flight physical/student pilot certificate on July 14, 1995. The last logbook entry was dated September 9, 1995. At the time of the accident, the pilot had accumulated about 60 hours of dual flight instruction with about 12 hours of solo flight, for a total of 70 flight hours. The records indicate the pilot had about 34 hours in an A36 airplane, of which about 9 hours were solo flight. The student pilot had not been endorsed for this cross-country flight as per FAR 61.93(d)(2)(i), Cross-Country Flight Requirements. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The aircraft was examined at the accident site. The left fuel tank was destroyed in the collision sequence; the right fuel tank remained intact. Less than 2 ounces of fuel was drained from the right tank. No evidence of significant fuel spillage was found on the ground. Postaccident examination of the Shadin Miniflow fuel computer's non-volatile memory was conducted at an FAA approved avionics shop. The examination revealed that an input of 74 gallons of total useable fuel had been programmed. The total fuel used against this input was indicated to be 58.5 gallons, with 15.5 gallons remaining. Subsequently, the Shadin miniflow digital indicator, the fuel system transducer, and the airplane's stock fuel flow instrument were sent to the Shadin Company for testing, compatibility, and calibration. The testing confirmed the initial non-volatile memory recovery obtained locally at an FAA approved avionics shop. The testing of the components revealed proper prescribed calibration and compatibility. TESTS AND RESEARCH A postaccident examination of the airplane and the engine was conducted on September 29, 1995. The fuel system was examined from the fuel tank selector to the fuel injection system flow divider manifold. The fuel selector valve was found selected to the right fuel tank. The main fuel screen/selector was found free of contaminants, and the housing contained about 1/8-cup of fuel. Fuel lines were removed between the firewall and the engine driven fuel pump, between the fuel pump and the fuel control unit, and the fuel return line. All lines were moist, but no measurable amounts of fuel were found. The throttle body thimble screen was removed and it was found free of contaminants with no fuel present. The fuel flow transducer was removed and found free of contaminants with 6 to 8 drops of fuel found. The fuel flow divider manifold was found free of obstructions with no signs of fuel present. The engine driven fuel pump was removed and examined. The drive coupling was intact and found to rotate freely. The spark plugs, compression, and valve train were also examined. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION On the night of the accident, the pilot was provided a National Transportation Safety Board form 6120.1/2, pilot/operator aircraft accident report. To date, the completed form has not been received at the Southwest Regional Office. On October 10, 1995, the airplane wreckage was released to the Avemco Insurance Company representative.
the pilot's fuel mismanagement and failure to assure that an adequate supply of fuel was available. His lack of familiarity with the airplane's fuel system, overcofidence, the dark night, and the lack of a suitable landing area were factors in the accident.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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