History of Flight
On April 21, 2009, at about 1750 Pacific daylight time, a Beech V35B, registration N8124R, impacted terrain following a loss of engine power during a go-around at Pine Mountain Lake Airport (E45) in Groveland, California. The airplane was operated under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 by the co-owner/pilot, who held a commercial pilot certificate with a certified flight instructor (CFI) rating. The CFI sustained serious injuries, while the private pilot undergoing instruction (PUI) received minor injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The local instructional flight had departed from Livermore, California, about 1720. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.
The private pilot was receiving a biennial flight review (BFR). The private pilot reported completing one touch-and-go landing. During the second approach, he asked the CFI if he could practice an emergency approach. The CFI instructed him to wait until he was downwind and abeam the numbers on the approach end before reducing power. The pilot set up for the simulated emergency approach but realized on final that he would be landing too long. He announced a go-around. As the airplane floated down the runway, the pilot added power for the go-around, but the engine did not respond. The pilot rechecked the engine controls while the airplane continued floating. Realizing he was running out of runway, the pilot pushed the nose down to attempt a landing before hitting obstacles. The airplane subsequently impacted terrain at the east end of the airport and came to rest on a public roadway.
Examination
During recovery, it was noted that the fuel selector handle was out of the detent between the right and left main fuel tanks. In a written statement, the pilot indicated, "for the record, I did not touch the fuel selector valve."
On April 29, 2009, investigators conducted an examination of the airplane and engine. Four separate engine runs were performed. Two test runs were conducted with the fuel selector handle out of the detent between the right and left main fuel tank selection. During the first test run, the engine ran at 2,700 rpm for 24 seconds before stopping. The second test run was at idle and the engine ran for 1 minute and 38 seconds before stopping. No anomalies were noted during the runs.