N3174VBeech 35 · 1947

On May 2, 2010, about 1600 Pacific daylight time, a Beech 35, N3174V, sustained substantial damage following a runway overrun at the Willapa Harbor Airport, South Bend (Raymond), Washington. The private pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was registered to Bayshore Realty and operated by the pilot as a personal flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The cross-country flight departed Bremerton, Washington, at 1430 with a planned destination of Willapa Harbor. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the visual flight rules (VFR) flight.

In a written report submitted to the National Transportation Safety Board, the pilot reported that the winds were from the south and gusting during the approach to runway 29. He reported that his approach airspeed was "90" plus miles per hour (mph) on short final due to wind conditions. The pilot reported that the airplane floated about 10 to 15 feet above the ground before it touched down approximately halfway down the 3,005 foot, hard-surfaced runway. Shortly after the airplane touched down, the pilot aborted the landing and applied full power. The airplane became airborne and as it ascended through about 20 feet above ground, the engine lost power. The pilot reported that the airplane touched down a second time and subsequently overran the runway.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, undercarriage and firewall.

Following the accident, the airframe was disassembled and both wings were removed by recovery personnel to facilitate removal and storage of the airplane. On December 7, 2010, the engine was examined and functionally tested at AvTech Services, Kent, Washington. For the purposes of the test run an alternate fuel source, which consisted of an auxiliary fuel tank and supply fuel line, was used to deliver fuel to the engine. The supply fuel line was routed directly to the fuel selector valve. After numerous attempts, the engine was started and developed power between varied power settings from idle to full power; however, continuous operation for more than one to two minutes was not attained. The reason for the non-continuous engine operation was not determined. No additional anomalies were noted during the functional test and exam.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Approved Flight Manual for the airplane indicated that the recommended landing approach speed for the accident airplane was 74 miles per hour (mph).