Pilots Can Learn From NTSB Final Report on Bonanza Accident in Arizona

The agency’s findings focus on errors in fuel management.

Wednesday, January 31, 2024 at 02:23 PM ET

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The NTSB concluded that fuel mismanagement led to the forced landing that damaged this Beechcraft Bonanza and injured its pilot. [Courtesy: NTSB]

Key Takeaways:

An NTSB report detailed an emergency landing caused by a pilot’s incorrect activation of the auxiliary fuel boost pump shortly after takeoff, leading to an excess of fuel and engine power loss.
The pilot used the boost pump to address cylinder overheating, contrary to the aircraft's operating manual (POH) and placards which state it should be off during takeoff.
The accident emphasizes the critical need for pilots to be intimately familiar with their specific aircraft's operating manuals, systems, and checklists, as fuel management procedures can vary significantly between different aircraft types.

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A recent National Transportation Safety Board final report on an emergency landing accident in Arizona is a reminder that fuel management entails more than monitoring the fuel level in the tanks and position of the selector valve.

According to the NTSB report, the accident aircraft, a 1975 Beechcraft F33A Bonanza, departed H. A. Clark Memorial Field Airport (KCMR) in Williams, Arizona, on January 26, 2022, at about 10:55 a.m. MST. The pilot had planned to fly to Eagle Airpark (A09) in Bullhead City, Arizona.

Jonathan Welsh

Jonathan Welsh is Lead Editor of Aviation Consumer and a private pilot who worked as a reporter, editor and columnist with the Wall Street Journal for 21 years, mostly covering the auto industry. His passion for aviation began in childhood with balsa-wood gliders his aunt would buy for him at the corner store. Follow Jonathan on Twitter @JonathanWelsh4