Monday, January 14, 2019

Beech A36 Bonanza, N410BC: Accident occurred December 17, 2016 in Ormond Beach, Volusia County, Florida

Air One arrives at the accident scene as the pilot speaks with Dale Cohen, who’d arrived there on foot. 


The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.

Additional Participating Entity: Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Orlando, Florida


Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf


http://registry.faa.gov/N410BC





Location: Ormond Beach, FL
Accident Number: ERA17LA070
Date & Time: 12/17/2016, 1607 EST
Registration: N410BC
Aircraft: BEECH A36
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Fuel exhaustion
Injuries: 1 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal 

On December 17, 2016, at 1607 eastern standard time, a Beech A36, N410BC, was substantially damaged during a forced landing at Ormond Beach, Florida. The private pilot was seriously injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 as a personal flight. Day, visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated at DeLand Municipal Airport (DED), DeLand, Florida, about 1430 and was destined for Mid Florida Air Service Airport (X55), Eustis, Florida.

The pilot reported in a telephone interview that he was returning to his home airport and was practicing maneuvers at 1,200 feet. The left fuel tank ran dry, and the engine lost all power. He stated that his normal procedure was to exhaust the fuel in one tank before switching to the other. He attempted a restart after switching to the right tank, which, he stated, held 40 gallons of fuel. The engine would not restart, so he performed a forced landing in a field. After touchdown, the landing gear collapsed and the airplane nosed down into the ground.

The pilot did not complete and return the NTSB Form 6120.1, Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, as requested on multiple occasions by the NTSB investigator-in-charge. The pilot also did not provide the aircraft maintenance records when requested by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector. The details of the latest annual inspection of the aircraft and engine were not available.

The wreckage was recovered from the accident site on December 22, 2017. According to the salvage operator, the left wing was substantially damaged and the left wing fuel tank was breached. The fuselage sustained structural damage. The right wing had minimal damage and the right wing fuel tank was undamaged. No fuel was found in either wing fuel tank. The wing tank selector handle was found in the "OFF" position.

The engine was examined on April 6, 2017. The engine was rotated by hand at the propeller, and compression and suction were observed on all six cylinders. All gears were observed rotating at the accessory (rear) section of the engine. The top spark plugs were removed; their electrodes were intact and were light grey in color. The engine-driven fuel pump was removed; the drive coupling was intact and the pump rotated smoothly.

The engine-driven fuel pump was forwarded to the manufacturer's facility for further examination. The fuel pump displayed impact damage signatures; one of the fuel line AN fittings was fractured. The fuel pump drive shaft was noted to have remained intact and the fuel pump drive shaft was capable of normal rotation. The fractured AN fitting was removed and a serviceable fitting was installed. The fuel pump was placed on a production bench for testing; the fuel pump operated normally. There were no anomalies noted.

According to the FAA medical file, the pilot was first medically certified to fly in 1978. In 2004, he reported a diagnosis of hypertension and treatment with medication. In February, 2008, he was admitted to hospital for several weeks with multiple complex complications of chronic alcoholism, then was admitted for alcohol rehabilitation, and he reported that to the FAA. After obtaining more information including a neurology evaluation following an alcohol withdrawal seizure, and a psychiatric evaluation, the FAA eventually granted him a special issuance third class medical certificate in 2009, which was dependent on him being evaluated and undergoing periodic testing for alcohol.

At the time of his last aviation medical examination, dated August 30, 2011, the pilot reported 1,650 total flight hours. In September, 2011, he tested positive for alcohol and the FAA withdrew his medical certificate in November, 2011.

The pilot was taken emergently to the hospital by helicopter following the accident. Blood drawn at 1709 tested positive for 0.177 gm/dl of alcohol. No other toxicology testing was performed.

Ethanol is the intoxicant commonly found in beer, wine, and liquor. It acts as a central nervous system depressant. After ingestion, at low doses, it impairs judgment, psychomotor functioning, and vigilance; at higher doses it can cause coma and death. The effects of ethanol on aviators are generally well understood; it significantly impairs pilots' performance, even at very low levels. CFR Part 91.17 (a) prohibits any person from acting or attempting to act as a crewmember of a civil aircraft while having 0.040 gm/dl or more ethanol in the blood.

Unlike many other substances, ethanol is eliminated from the body at a fairly constant rate. The rate varies with the regularity of drinking and whether or not the individual has recently eaten, but ranges from 0.010 gm/dl/hr in infrequent drinkers with an empty stomach to as high as 0.035 gm/dl/hr in heavy drinkers who have eaten. As a result, the minimum and maximum levels of ethanol can be back-calculated with some assurance of accuracy. Thus, at the time of the accident, the pilot's alcohol level was likely at or above 0.185 gm/dl.

Pilot Information


Certificate: Private
Age: 57, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used: 3-point
Instrument Rating(s): Airplane
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: Yes
Medical Certification: None 
Last FAA Medical Exam: 08/30/2011
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: 
Flight Time: 1500 hours (Total, all aircraft), 1000 hours (Total, this make and model)

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: BEECH
Registration: N410BC
Model/Series: A36 UNDESIGNATED
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 1979
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: E-1606
Landing Gear Type: Retractable - Tricycle
Seats: 6
Date/Type of Last Inspection:  Unknown
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 3651 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection:
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time:
Engine Manufacturer: Continental
ELT:
Engine Model/Series: IO-520 Series
Registered Owner: On file
Rated Power:
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: OMN, 27 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site: 8 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 1450 EST
Direction from Accident Site: 80°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Scattered / 5000 ft agl
Visibility:  10 Miles
Lowest Ceiling:
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 10 knots /
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual: / None
Wind Direction: 210°
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual: / N/A
Altimeter Setting: 30.1 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 28°C / 17°C
Precipitation and Obscuration:  No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: Deland, FL (DED)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: Eustis, FL (X55)
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time: 1430 EST
Type of Airspace: Class G

Wreckage and Impact Information


Crew Injuries: 1 Serious
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Serious
Latitude, Longitude:  29.266667, -81.254722 (est)



NTSB Identification: ERA17LA070
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, December 17, 2016 in Ormond Beach, FL
Aircraft: BEECH A36, registration: N410BC
Injuries: 1 Serious.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

On December 17, 2016, at 1510 eastern standard time, a Beech A36, N410BC, was substantially damaged during a forced landing at Ormond Beach, Florida. The private pilot was seriously injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Day, visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated at DeLand Municipal Airport (DED), DeLand, Florida, about 1430 and was destined for Eustis, Florida (X55).

The pilot reported that he was returning to his home airport and was practicing maneuvers at 1,200 feet. The left fuel tank ran dry, and the engine lost all power. He attempted a restart after switching to the right tank, which held 40 gallons of fuel. The engine would not restart, so he attempted a forced landing in a field. After touchdown, the landing gear collapsed and the airplane nosed down into the ground.

An inspector with the Federal Aviation Administration responded to the accident site and examined the wreckage. Structural damage to wings and fuselage was confirmed. The left fuel tank was empty and the right fuel tank contained fuel.

The wreckage was retained for further examination.

5 comments:

  1. Another perfectly good legacy aircraft destroyed due to pilot stupidity. It will be a sad day for GA once all those planes are used up.

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  2. By then disruption shall happen i.e electric planes and drones transporting people.
    It's like arguing the lack of (very expensive) film cameras impedes on the movie industry.
    Indeed a used Arri 16 mm now goes for tens of thousands of dollars but. is inferior to any Best Buy video 4k camera.
    But it is true only the rare few will be able to fly vintage aircrafts manually like now.

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  3. At least he had no passengers and didn’t hurt anyone on the ground. Looser

    ReplyDelete
  4. From the final report:
    The right wing had minimal damage and the right wing fuel tank was undamaged. No fuel was found in either wing fuel tank.

    From the prelim report:
    This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors.
    The left fuel tank was empty and the right fuel tank contained fuel.

    COMMENT: Errors of this magnitude should be uncommon. Either the tank contained fuel or it was empty.
    The fuel selector being OFF renders the fuel situation meaningless.

    24 hours from bottle to throttle - or more!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Cunning, baffling, powerful ... this pilot was probably still in denial. That is not a river in Africa. So sad.

    ReplyDelete