Incident Overview
On June 23, 2011, at approximately 1845 Pacific daylight time, a Beech A36, registration N2206L, landed hard after a complete loss of engine power at El Monte Airport in El Monte, California. The commercial pilot, operating under Part 91, was not injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage, including bent wing spars, a collapsed right main landing gear, and a separated nose gear.
Flight Details
The flight departed Chino Airport, Chino, California, about 1835, with a planned destination of Camarillo Airport, Camarillo, California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The airplane had just undergone an avionics and flight instrument upgrade at a maintenance facility at Chino Airport.
Preceding Events
Earlier that day, at 1300, a facility employee flew the airplane to Van Nuys to pick up the pilot. During those flights, he observed a spurious fuel pressure indication on the engine monitoring system, though the engine operated normally. The problem was assumed to be with the indication system. After landing at Chino uneventfully, technicians spent three hours diagnosing and rectifying the malfunction by disconnecting and cleaning the fuel pressure monitoring lines.
Pilot's Actions and State
The pilot had initially intended to fly to Concord, California, but due to the delay, he decided to fly back to his residence in Camarillo and complete the remainder of the journey via commercial airline. He reported feeling tired and frustrated from the delay and declined an offer from the maintenance facility manager to drive him to the airport for the commercial flight.
This was his first solo flight since the new system installation. Although instrument rated, he did not want to perform an instrument flight rules (IFR) approach with the new panel. He obtained a weather briefing around 1800, performed a cursory walk-around, and could not recall checking fuel tank quantity or using the checklist.
The Accident Flight
The pilot reported an uneventful takeoff and initial cruise at 4,500 feet above ground level. He stated he normally flies higher but was in a hurry. During cruise, he became concerned and distracted by sun glare interfering with his traffic scan and outside visual reference.
Shortly thereafter, he heard a popping sound from the engine, followed by a total loss of power. The propeller continued to turn, and the airplane began descending. He contacted Air Traffic Control, received vectors to El Monte, and became convinced the power loss was due to a maintenance oversight. Consequently, he did not attempt to switch fuel tanks, turn on the boost pump, or perform other troubleshooting. He maintained 90 knots during descent but inadvertently stalled the airplane on final approach.
Post-Accident Examination
Examination revealed the right main fuel tank was filled to the brim, while the left main tank appeared empty, with about 12 ounces of fuel drained from the left wing sump. No fuel was found in the fuel lines from the belly-strainer to the fuel injector servo, except a few drops. The fuel selector valve was in the left tank position immediately after the accident. The aircraft's MVP-50 engine analyzer recorded data from the day's three flights. Data from the final flight showed the left tank indicated 9 gallons at engine start at 1807, decreasing to zero over time, while the right tank remained at 34.5 gallons. Engine speed and fuel pressure dropped shortly after the left tank emptied.