NTSB Identification: WPR10LA357
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, July 18, 2010 in Phoenix, AZ
Probable Cause Approval Date: 08/29/2012
Aircraft: BEECH A36, registration: N9SH
Injuries: 1 Serious.
NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot reported flying for about an hour at 10,000 feet during a maintenance test flight to break in newly installed cylinders. The pilot reduced altitude to continue operating for another hour. As he changed altitude, he switched fuel tanks. Shortly after switching tanks, the engine lost power. During the forced landing, the airplane hit an automobile. Following the accident, about 1.5 gallons of fuel were recovered from the right fuel tank, and the left fuel tank was found empty. The right fuel tank was cracked and had leaked some fuel; the left fuel tank was not damaged. During the postaccident engine examination, no mechanical failures or malfunctions were revealed that would have precluded normal operation. The loss of engine power was most likely due to the pilot’s mismanagement of the fuel, resulting in fuel starvation.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be: A loss of engine power during descent due to fuel starvation that resulted from the pilot's mismanagement of the fuel system. Full narrative available
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