At 0953 Pacific time, a Beech 95-B55 was damaged in an off-airport landing following a loss of power while on approach to Joshua Tree Airport. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The pilot, with about 600 hours in the airplane, said the airplane had come out of its annual inspection just over four flight hours earlier. The engines lost power in the traffic pattern. Both auxiliary tanks were empty, the right tank was empty and the 37-gallon left main tank was nearly full. Both fuel selectors were on their respective main tanks. The accident flight from Santa Monica, about 45 minutes, was made with each engine supplied by its main tank. The pilot said the left engine lost power on downwind, so he shut it down and feathered the propeller. He made a wide base leg and lowered the landing gear as he turned to final at about 500 feet. About 10 seconds later the right engine quit. He tried to restart the left engine but failed, and he could not make the airport.
February 03, Joshua Tree, Calif. / Beech Baron
At 0953 Pacific time, a Beech 95-B55 was damaged in an off-airport landing following a loss of power while on approach to Joshua Tree Airport. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The pilot, with about 600 hours in the airplane, said the airplane had come out of its annual inspection just over four flight hours earlier. The engines lost power in the traffic pattern. Both auxiliary tanks were empty, the right tank was empty and the 37-gallon left main tank was nearly full. Both fuel selectors were on their respective main tanks. The accident flight from Santa Monica, about 45 minutes, was made with each engine supplied by its main tank. The pilot said the left engine lost power on downwi...
Key Takeaways:
- A Beech 95-B55 made an off-airport landing following a complete loss of power in both engines during approach to Joshua Tree Airport, with the pilot and passenger uninjured.
- The incident occurred just over four flight hours after the aircraft had undergone its annual inspection.
- The left engine lost power first on the downwind leg, leading the pilot to shut it down, followed by the right engine quitting on final approach, preventing a successful landing at the airport.
- Fuel state observations revealed both auxiliary tanks and the right main tank were empty, while the left main tank was nearly full, despite both fuel selectors being on their respective main tanks.
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