Accident Details
On July 17, 2009, about 1945 Pacific daylight time, a Beech 35-B33, registration N9772Y, experienced a loss of engine power during the initial climb out. The pilot made a forced landing in the Martis Valley Wildlife area west of Highway 267, just south of Truckee, California. The pilot/owner, the sole occupant, operated the airplane under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. The pilot was not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage belly keel beam. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country flight, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight departed from Truckee-Tahoe Airport (TRK) about 1940, destined for Watsonville Municipal Airport (WVI), Watsonville, California.
Pilot Report
According to the pilot, he performed a preflight inspection, which included visually checking fuel and oil levels. After start-up, all engine instruments were in the normal operating range. A high altitude takeoff was initiated, which included leaning the mixture. Rotation was normal; however, at 400 feet above ground level (agl), the engine began to backfire and run rough. The pilot stated that he enrichened the mixture and engaged the auxiliary fuel pump, but the engine lost power, so he turned off the auxiliary fuel pump. The pilot reported that the stall warning horn sounded, so he lowered the nose and leveled the wings. He stated that he thought he was at 300 feet agl when he began to look for a suitable landing area. He left the landing gear in the retracted position and held the airplane in a nose high attitude until it impacted the ground at about 55 miles per hour. The airplane slid about 40 yards before it pivoted to the right and came to a stop.
Engine History and Examination
In a telephone interview with the NTSB investigator-in-charge, the pilot reported that the engine had recently been overhauled at the Teledyne Continental Motors (TCM) facility and had about 20 hours of time in service since installation. Investigators from the NTSB and TCM, along with an FAA inspector, completed an examination of the engine at Truckee. No mechanical problems were found during engine run. Various components were removed for additional testing.
TCM personnel examined and completed functional tests of the following components at their factory in Mobile, Alabama, under FAA supervision. All components functioned within specifications with no abnormalities detected. The link rod and levers of the throttle and fuel control assembly were intact and undamaged. TCM personnel removed the finger screen and observed no contamination. The unit was flow tested on the TCM test bench, and it functioned properly through its full range of operation. The fuel pump turned freely, with no abnormalities; flow testing showed proper operation. The fuel manifold valve exhibited normal operating signatures. Fuel lines, nozzles, and manifold valve assembly were flow tested and functioned properly with no leakage observed. Fuel nozzles were unrestricted with normal signatures. Fuel lines were intact and undamaged. Sparkplugs displayed normal wear signatures per the Champion aviation check-a-plug comparison chart. Both left-hand and right-hand magnetos turned freely with impulse coupling engagement; each produced a blue spark across a 7 mm gap through the full range of test bench rpm.