At 1008 Mountain time, the airplane was substantially damaged when its engine lost power and it landed short of the runway. Visual conditions prevailed. There were no injuries to the pilot and his passenger. According to the pilot, he was on final approach and, when he tried to adjust the power setting with throttle, the engine did not respond. He made a forced landing on uneven terrain short of the runway. The pilot told inspectors all fuel tanks were full two days earlier when he departed Longmont, Colo., for Salt Lake City, Utah. The next day, July 22, he flew to Wendover, Utah. The day of the accident, he was returning to Longmont. Both tip tanks were ruptured, the left main tank was empty, and the right wing tank had some fuel.” There was no fuel odor or stains on the ground.
July 23, 2008, Longmont, Colo., Beech 35-C33A Debonair
At 1008 Mountain time, the airplane was substantially damaged when its engine lost power and it landed short of the runway. Visual conditions prevailed. There were no injuries to the pilot and his passenger. According to the pilot, he was on final approach and, when he tried to adjust the power setting with throttle, the engine did not respond. He made a forced landing on uneven terrain short of the runway.
Key Takeaways:
- An airplane sustained substantial damage during a forced landing short of the runway after its engine lost power and became unresponsive to throttle adjustments; the pilot and passenger were uninjured.
- The pilot was returning from a multi-day trip, having stated all fuel tanks were full two days prior at the start of his journey.
- Post-accident inspection revealed the left main fuel tank was empty, tip tanks were ruptured, and only some fuel remained in the right wing tank, strongly suggesting fuel exhaustion as the cause of power loss.
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