Accident Details
On August 20, 2019, at 1754 Pacific daylight time, a Beech A36 airplane, registration N134P, was destroyed when it descended into the Pacific Ocean near Half Moon Bay, California. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
Preflight and Flight History
Earlier that morning, the pilot performed a preflight inspection during which he obtained fuel samples from the left and right fuel tanks. He stated that he had to drain fuel from each tank four to five times before the samples were free of “flakey black sediment.” He thought this was more debris than usual but was not alarmed after obtaining clean fuel samples. The pilot departed, picked up a passenger at Reid-Hillview Airport (RHV), San Jose, California, and continued to Monterey Regional Airport, Monterey, California, landing about 1200. After picking up the passenger, the pilot observed the fuel flow gauge showing an unstable flow oscillating and decreasing from 16 to 11 gallons per hour (gph). He switched the fuel boost pump to “LO,” which appeared to alleviate the problem. The pilot departed Monterey about 1550 and landed at 1600 on the turf runway at Monterey Bay Academy Airport, Watsonville, California. He subsequently departed about 1630 and landed at RHV to drop off one of his passengers. That passenger, also a pilot, was planning to fly a Cessna 182 in tandem with the accident airplane for picture-taking.
Engine Anomaly
Federal Aviation Administration air traffic control transcripts revealed that the accident airplane departed RHV about 1722 as a flight of two with the Cessna. At 1742, the Cessna pilot advised the controller that the airplanes were planning to descend below 1,000 feet mean sea level (msl) and may lose radio contact; the controller advised radar services were terminated and instructed the pilot to squawk VFR. The accident pilot stated that during a descending left turn at about 3,000 feet msl, the engine became quieter and stopped producing power. The JPI Engine Monitor Display 700 indicated exhaust gas temperatures declining to 0° and fuel flow at 0 gph. He switched the boost pump to “LO” for several seconds, then “HI,” then back off. He manipulated throttle, propeller, and mixture controls full forward, and at about 500 feet agl, positioned the fuel selector from left to right tank. The engine produced power momentarily before again losing total power. He stated the propeller was windmilling with no unusual vibrations, sounds, or odors.
Just before the engine anomaly, a passenger took two cell phone videos, later posted to social media. The last video started at 1735:26, 3 nautical miles north of the accident site, capturing 16 seconds of footage showing the left turn before power loss. A review of the video revealed the JPI Fuel Scan 450 instrument showed 18.6 gph fuel flow, left-wing tank about 3/8 full, right-wing tank 1/2 full, and engine manifold pressure 24 inches.
Ditching and Rescue
The pilot communicated with the Cessna pilot about the engine failure and chose to ditch with landing gear and flaps retracted. He configured the airplane into a level attitude about 10 feet above the water and waited for it to settle. After impact, he and the passenger egressed with several items, standing on the wing until the airplane sank in an estimated 40 to 50 seconds. The Cessna pilot contacted ATC at 1753, advising that the accident airplane was ditching. Coast Guard rescue helicopters arrived about 1830. The water depth was about 145 feet, and the airplane wreckage was not recovered.
The pilot purchased the airplane (serial number E-1527) in June 2019. It was equipped with a Continental Motors IO550-B engine (serial number 684026) and had recently undergone maintenance, including installation of 20-gallon D’Shannon wingtip fuel tanks on July 18, 2019.