N8780MBeech A23

On June 1, 2021, about 1720 eastern daylight time, a Beech A23, N8780M, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Pinnacle, North Carolina. The student pilot was fatally injured and the flight instructor sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight.

The flight instructor stated that, after performing a series of maneuvers, while transitioning between practice areas, the engine lost total power. After multiple attempts to restart the engine, she performed a forced landing to a field. A review of the flight track data revealed that the flight departed runway 22 at Smith Reynolds Airport (INT), Winston Salem, North Carolina, about 1641. The airplane made a right turn and tracked northwest, then east, performing a series of turns, climbs, and descents, consistent with maneuvering flight. About 1718, while flying on an easterly track, the airplane entered a right descending 270° turn from about 2,100 ft mean sea level (msl). The last target was observed at 1719 as the airplane descended through 1,075 ft msl at a groundspeed of 64 knots, about 16 miles northwest of INT. The elevation at the accident site was about 1,000 ft.

The airplane impacted a grass field on a residential property. The wreckage debris path was about 65 ft long and oriented on a magnetic heading of 162°. There was no postimpact fire and all major structural components of the airplane were located within the debris field. All flight control cables were continuous from the cockpit controls to the control surfaces. Manual manipulation of the aileron, stabilator, and rudder cables operated their respective control surfaces. The outboard portion of the left wing came to rest inverted and next to the inboard portion of the wing. The left wing was impact-separated from the fuselage at the wing root, the aileron cables remained attached. The empennage separated from the fuselage and came to rest behind the cabin, the elevator and rudder cables remained attached. The engine was partially separated; the fuel hoses, throttle, and mixture control cables remained attached. The nose and right main landing gear were separated.

The engine fuel supply system remained intact. The fuel boost pump switch lever was fracture-separated, but the remaining portion was in the “ON” position. The left fuel tank was breached, the right fuel tank remained intact and contained about 1 pint of aviation fuel that was free of water and debris. Grass blighting was evident at the initial left wing impact location and continued along the wreckage path to the main wreckage. The fuel flow divider and fuel injector lines did not contain any fuel. The fuel injectors and fuel flow divider were disassembled and found to be free of debris. The fuel line from the engine-driven fuel pump to the fuel metering assembly contained fuel and the line from the fuel metering assembly to the flow divider contained a small amount of fuel. The fuel selector was in the right tank position, and the valve contained a small amount of fuel. The fuel outlet strainers in each wing, and all fuel supply lines and vents were free of obstructions. None of the fuel supply lines from the firewall forward were breached. The electric fuel boost pump was removed and hooked up to a power supply; it was successfully operated and pumped water.

Both magnetos were removed and manually operated. The right and left magnetos produced spark on all leads. The top spark plugs were in new condition when compared to a Champion Spark Aviation Check-A-Plug chart AV-27. The engine was manually rotated; continuity was confirmed and thumb compression was verified on all cylinders. Each of the cylinder valves appeared well lubricated and their associated rockers and springs functioned smoothly. There were 6 quarts of oil inside the crankcase. The oil filter was cut open and the filter pleats were free of any ferrous material or debris. The propeller remained attached to the crankshaft flange. Blade A was unremarkable, and Blade B was uniformly bent aft around the engine. Blade B was cut from the hub to facilitate engine rotation. Neither blade exhibited leading edge gouging or polishing.

According to the airplane flight log, the airplane flew 2.8 hours since it was last fueled to capacity one week before to the accident. After 1 flight hour, the left and right fuel tanks were “1/2 and FULL,” respectively. After the next flight, just over 1 hour, the fuel tanks were “2/3 and 1/2”, the same as the preflight fuel level for the accident flight. The flight instructor noted that they departed on the accident flight with about 30 gallons of fuel.

The airplane was equipped with a 59.8-gallon fuel system, of which 58.8 gallons were usable. Each wing tank had a capacity of 29.9 gallons.

The average fuel consumption was about 9 gallons per hour (gph), with higher amounts for takeoff and climb; however, according to the flight log, the airplane was consuming about 14 gph. The pilot operating handbook (POH) stated that the fuel return line from the engine-driven fuel pump returns about 3 to 6 gallons of fuel per hour to the left tank when the engine is operating at 75% power or less.

The POH outlined the following emergency procedures in the event of an engine failure after liftoff and in flight if sufficient altitude was available for maneuvering:

Fuel Selector Valve – SELECT OTHER TANK (Check to feel detent)

Auxiliary Fuel Pump – ON

Mixture – FULL RICH, then LEAN as required

Magnetos – CHECK LEFT and RIGHT, then BOTH

The most probable cause of engine failure would be loss of fuel flow or improper functioning of the ignition system

According to the Federal Aviation Administration Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3B), the key to successful management of an emergency situation, and/or preventing a non-normal situation from progressing into a true emergency, is a thorough familiarity with, and adherence to, the procedures developed by the airplane manufacturer and contained in the POH/AFM.