Accident Overview
On September 16, 2017, at about 0855 eastern daylight time, a Beech 35, registration N3187V, was substantially damaged when it ditched in the Gulf of Mexico following a complete loss of engine power. The accident occurred approximately 10 miles west of Marathon, Florida. The private pilot and a passenger were not injured. The flight was operated under Part 91 of the Federal Aviation Regulations and was conducted in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan had been filed.
Flight Details
The flight originated from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE) at about 0745. The purpose was to survey damage to the business partner's home on No Name Key, Florida. After circling the home at low altitude and taking photographs, the pilot began a climb to return to cruise altitude. At an altitude between 800 and 1,000 feet above mean sea level, the engine lost all power.
Emergency and Ditching
The pilot determined that the airplane could not glide to land and prepared to ditch. He attempted two engine restarts without success, then two more using the wobble fuel pump and electric fuel pump, followed by another restart attempt using only the electric fuel pump, all unsuccessful. The propeller continued to windmill during these attempts. The pilot landed on the water with the landing gear and flaps retracted. The airplane came to rest upright, and both occupants were rescued by law enforcement personnel.
Recovery and Examination
The airplane was recovered 12 days later, on September 28, 2017, by a recovery company. It was found intact on a sandy bottom. When floated to the surface, a fuel sheen was observed. Examination revealed no fuel or water in the left wing fuel tank and about 1 gallon of a fuel and water mixture in the right wing fuel tank. The recovery company president noted that the propeller could not be rotated, possibly due to corrosion.
The pilot reported using REC-90 (90-octane, ethanol-free gasoline) stored in his hangar. He typically filled the fuel tanks completely after each flight to prevent condensation. His last flight prior to the accident was on September 11, 2017, for 0.6 hours, after which he added 6 gallons of fuel. During the preflight inspection for the accident flight, both tanks were full. The pilot recalled being burned from fuel in the water, and a recovery diver made a similar comment. A receipt showed the pilot had purchased 30 gallons of REC-90 on September 5, 2017.
Initial examination by an FAA inspector revealed that the fuselage had buckled during the ditching. The engine-driven fuel pump was inspected because the pilot suspected it might have failed. The pump drive shaft was intact, and the pump could be actuated by hand with no anomalies noted. Due to extensive corrosion, the engine crankshaft could not be rotated.
Aircraft Information
The four-seat, low-wing, retractable tricycle-gear airplane (serial number D-623) was manufactured in 1947. It was powered by a Continental E185 185-horsepower engine equipped with a constant-speed, two-blade Hartzell propeller. The most recent annual inspection was completed on April 27, 2017, at which time the airframe had 3,768.4 hours and the engine had 72 hours since major overhaul. The airplane had flown about 35 hours since that inspection.