History of Flight
On July 5, 2019, at 1341 central daylight time, a Beech A36 airplane, registration N1809S, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Chebanse, Illinois. The pilot sustained serious injuries, one passenger was fatally injured, and one passenger received minor injuries. The flight was operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
According to data from the ForeFlight application, the airplane departed Effingham Memorial Airport (1H2), Effingham, Illinois, at 0901 and arrived at Smyrna Airport (MQY), Smyrna, Tennessee, at 1034. After picking up a passenger, the pilot departed MQY at 1134 for Bolingbrook's Clow International Airport (1C5), Bolingbrook, Illinois, climbing to a cruise altitude of 3,000 ft msl.
The pilot reported that the takeoff and initial portion of the accident flight were routine, and the engine was running "fine." While in cruise, he heard a "big boom," and the engine lost power. The engine appeared to be running but was not producing power; engine indications were normal. The pilot performed a forced landing to a wheat field. Upon touchdown, the wheels became stuck due to muddy conditions, and the airplane came to an abrupt stop.
The pilot recalled checking the fuel quantity gauges shortly before the loss of power, noting one main tank was over half full and the other about three-quarters full. He had not activated the wing tip fuel tank transfer pumps because there was still over half fuel in the main tanks.
Personnel Information
The pilot satisfactorily completed the flight instructor practical test on September 2, 2018, which met the requirement for a flight review in accordance with 14 CFR Part 61.56(d)(2).
Aircraft Information
The pilot stated that the airplane's main and wing tip fuel tanks were filled to capacity before departing from 1H2. The airplane was not fueled at MQY. He reported normally using a cruise power setting of 2,300 rpm and 23 inches of manifold pressure.
The airplane was equipped with two main tanks holding a total of 80 gallons, of which 74 gallons were useable. Two wing tip fuel tanks had a total capacity of 30 gallons, all of which were useable. According to the flight manual supplement, fuel was transferred from each wing tip tank to the respective main tank by an electric fuel transfer pump.
Meteorological Information
Winds aloft along the route of flight were from the west-southwest at about 8 knots.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest in a muddy wheat field. The fuselage and both wings were damaged during the forced landing. Both wing tip fuel tanks were compromised. The wheat field was scorched in an area behind the left wing tip and below and behind the right wing tip. Both main wing fuel tanks appeared intact, and both fuel caps were securely installed. At the time of examination, the left main fuel tank was empty, and the right main fuel tank contained about 25 gallons of fuel. The fuel selector was positioned to the left main fuel tank. No fuel was observed in the fuel line from the fuel selector to the engine-driven fuel pump. Minimal fuel was observed in the fuel line from the fuel manifold to the mixture control. No residual fuel was expelled from the engine-driven fuel pump when operated manually. The auxiliary fuel pump switch was in the off position. The switch for the left wing tip fuel tank transfer pump was off, and the switch for the right wing tip tank transfer pump was on.
An airframe examination did not reveal any anomalies consistent with a preimpact failure or malfunction. An engine test run was conducted, during which the engine performed normally and responded to all throttle inputs without hesitation. During the test run, fuel leaks were observed at the throttle body/mixture control and the engine-driven fuel pump. The o-rings in both components were removed and found to be hardened, worn, and brittle. After the o-rings were replaced, the components performed normally during the test run. The engine test run revealed no anomalies consistent with an inability to produce rated power.
The airplane was equipped with a Shadin Microflo-L fuel management system. The operating manual noted that the Microflo-L is a fuel flow measuring system and not a quantity-sensing system. Positive determination of the usable fuel on-board and accurate entry of that information into the unit is required; however, the pilot reported that he did not recall initializing the system before either flight on the day of the accident. The airplane was also equipped with an Insight G1 graphic engine monitor, but the unit did not have data logging capability.