Accident Overview
On September 10, 2019, at approximately 1220 central daylight time, a Beech A-23, registration N3555R, was substantially damaged during a forced landing at Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP) in Panama City, Florida. The student pilot and owner, along with a flight instructor, were not injured. The airplane was operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations as a part 91 instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight had departed South Alabama Regional Airport at Bill Benton Field (79J) in Andalusia, Alabama, around 1130.
Aircraft and Crew Information
The airplane, a four-place, internally braced low-wing aircraft with fixed tricycle landing gear, was equipped with a Continental IO-346A, 165-horsepower engine and a two-blade metal fixed pitch propeller. It had received a standard airworthiness certificate on April 12, 1965. The airframe and engine had accumulated 3,023 hours total time, with 669 hours since overhaul as of the last annual inspection on April 2, 2019. The student pilot had purchased the airplane on May 10, 2017.
The flight instructor held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, multiengine land, and instrument airplane, as well as a flight instructor certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. She reported 3,150 hours total flight time and held an FAA second-class medical certificate issued on May 1, 2019. The student pilot reported 36.1 hours total time, with 6.1 hours in the accident airplane make and model, and held an FAA third-class medical certificate issued on August 30, 2017.
Circumstances of the Flight
The student pilot and flight instructor had completed a cross-country flight from ECP to 79J and back. They were then conducting airport traffic pattern work, including go-arounds and touch-and-go landings on runway 16. Following a normal go-around due to excessive crosswinds, they initiated a no-flap landing. On short final, the student reported a normal approach but found that the engine did not respond when he attempted to increase power to arrest descent. The student pulled and pushed the throttle several times; the instructor instructed him to immediately push it back in to add power, initially suspecting a broken throttle cable. After unsuccessful attempts to regain engine power, the instructor took control and attempted a landing. The airplane touched down short of the runway, bounced hard, struck approach lights, then settled back onto the runway before rolling to a stop.
Postaccident Examination
Postaccident examination revealed that the right wing spar was damaged, with buckling in the upper and lower areas of the right wing. The right gear fairing was buckled, and the left wing showed wrinkling where the gear assembly was attached, resulting in damage to the left wing spar. Inspection of the fuel venting system by a mechanic found foreign object debris with the consistency of dirt obstructing the right trailing edge fuel vent line. Further examination showed that the fuel tank vent tube was clogged with mud from an insect, commonly referred to as a "Mud Dauber" wasp. The manufacturer's Airplane Flight Manual (AFM), under Section IV Normal procedures, includes a preflight inspection item specifically to ensure that the right wing trailing edge fuel tank vent line is unobstructed. The flight instructor stated she did not witness the student pilot conduct the preflight inspection of his airplane.