Accident Details
On July 1, 2019, at about 1155 central daylight time, a Beech A23 airplane, registration N3598R, experienced a hard landing on a road following a loss of engine power approximately 5 miles east of the Ft. Smith Regional Airport (FSM) in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. The flight instructor and the student pilot were not injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage, including collapse of the nose and right main landing gear, and damage to the engine mount and firewall. The airplane was owned by BAP Group LLC and operated by Southern Eagle Flight School as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the flight was not operated on a flight plan. The local flight had originated from FSM at about 1030.
Flight History
The flight instructor stated that the purpose of the flight was to evaluate the skills and proficiency of a prospective student. After takeoff, the student pilot completed some work in the airport traffic pattern, and then they proceeded to the local practice area. While returning to the airport, the instructor switched fuel tanks, and about one minute later the engine lost power. The instructor took control of the airplane and set up for a forced landing to a road. The airplane touched down hard, slid off the road, and entered an adjacent ditch.
The student pilot reported that after takeoff they proceeded to the practice area and completed some private pilot maneuvers. While returning to the airport, the flight instructor changed fuel tanks because they had been drawing from one tank for the entire flight. The student did not recall which tank was selected. About five minutes later, the engine began to sputter and lost power. The instructor took control of the airplane. The student noted that the instructor verified the fuel selector position but did not recall him resetting the fuel selector to the original tank at that time.
Fuel and Engine Investigation
Airplane recovery personnel reported that approximately 15 gallons of fuel was drained from the left-wing fuel tank and about 1/4 gallon from the right fuel tank. The fuel tanks were intact, and no fuel leakage was observed.
An engine run was conducted under the oversight of a Federal Aviation Administration inspector. The engine started and ran normally on both the left and right fuel selector positions using an external fuel supply. The electric fuel boost pump was used only during engine start and was turned off afterward; the engine run was conducted using the engine-driven fuel pump. A magneto check revealed no anomalies.
A representative from the flight school reported that the airplane had been flown for about 1.5 hours since it was topped off with fuel. The airplane was not fueled before the accident flight. The representative stated that the fuel level in the right tank was slightly below one-half full. He did not check the fuel level in the left tank but observed the flight instructor conducting a complete preflight inspection. He noted that the airplane fuel selector had left, right, and off positions; there was no both setting, so fuel could not be drawn from both tanks simultaneously.
The flight instructor stated that he visually checked the fuel levels before the flight and estimated about 35 gallons were on board, which he calculated would provide about 3.5 hours of flight time. He added that the fuel gauges indicated full, and fuel samples taken during the preflight inspection were unremarkable.