Introduction
On June 18, 2011, about 0800 Pacific daylight time, a Beechcraft B23, N6991Q, impacted terrain during a forced landing approximately one mile east of Jean, Nevada. The student pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The airplane, owned by Desert Oasis Veterinary Enterprises LLC and operated by the student pilot, sustained substantial damage.
Flight Details
The flight was a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 local area solo instructional/proficiency flight. It departed Henderson Executive Airport, Las Vegas, Nevada, about 75 minutes prior to the accident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot intended to fly for about 90 minutes, performing touch-and-go landings, slow flight, maneuvering slow flight, turns around a point, and S-turns. Before departure, he estimated 30 gallons of fuel onboard, initially selecting the right tank, which appeared to have slightly more fuel than the left.
After departing, the pilot flew to Jean Airport, about 18 miles south, where he completed two touch-and-go landings. Due to busy traffic at Jean, he then went about 5 miles east of the airport, switched to the left fuel tank, and practiced S-turns and slow flight. Subsequently, he moved about 10 miles farther south near Primm, Nevada, to practice turns around a point over a racetrack on a dry lakebed. He then began a return to Henderson Executive, about 35 miles north, at 4,200 feet mean sea level (msl) while again in slow flight configuration.
Emergency
After about 5 miles of slow flight, approximately 6 miles south of Jean Airport, the engine suddenly began running very rough, accompanied by a loss of power and altitude. At about 1,500 feet above ground level (agl), the pilot diverted toward Jean Airport. He activated the fuel pump, added full throttle with mixture full rich, and confirmed carburetor heat on. Fuel gauge indications showed left tank less than ¼ full and right tank just over ½ full. As the pilot began switching to the right tank, the engine lost all power at 500 feet agl.
The pilot then focused on a nearby dry lakebed for an engine-out forced landing. Unable to stretch the glide, the airplane touched down in soft sand and scrub brush about 200 feet short of the lakebed. Contact with scrub brush tore off all three landing gear and substantially damaged the wings.
Aftermath
An FAA Inspector from the Las Vegas Flight Standards District Office responded. Inspection revealed the left fuel tank was empty, while the right tank contained an undetermined amount of fuel. The fuel selector remained on the left tank. No stains or indications of a fuel leak were found. The pilot had not used a tank quantity measuring device; his fuel estimate was based on visual inspection and gauge readings of the 43-year-old low-wing airplane.
A review of the pilot's submitted Form 6120.1 showed he estimated fuel burn at approximately 9.2 gallons per hour. The Beechcraft Pilot's Operating Handbook for B23 airplanes (serial numbers M-1095 thru M-1284) with Avco Lycoming O-360-A2G 180 horsepower engines specified fuel flows between 12.5 and 13.2 gallons per hour for maneuvers requiring more than 84% brake horsepower at altitudes of 4,500 feet msl or lower.