Accident Details
On February 10, 2025, about 1455 mountain standard time, a Beech B24R, registration N9324S, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Skull Valley, Utah. The flight instructor and student pilot were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight.
Flight Sequence
The flight instructor reported that this was the first flight in the accident airplane for both he and the student pilot. After an uneventful taxi and engine run up, they departed Spanish Fork Municipal Airport/Woodhouse Field (SPK) in Spanish Fork, Utah, about 1310 while using the right-wing fuel tank. Approximately twenty minutes later, the flight instructor demonstrated the procedure for switching fuel tanks and switched to the left fuel tank, continuing the flight toward the Tooele-Bolinder Field/Tooele Valley Airport (TVY) in Tooele, Utah. After another twenty minutes, the flight instructor switched back to the right tank.
Emergency Response
About ten minutes after switching to the right tank, the flight instructor heard the engine make a “strange noise,” felt a jolt, and the engine lost total power. The flight instructor took control of the airplane and initiated a forced landing to an open area near Interstate 80. While troubleshooting, the instructor advanced the mixture to full rich, switched the fuel tank selector to the left tank, and ensured the fuel boost pump was on, but was unable to restore engine power.
Damage and Recovery
During the landing roll on soft, lightly vegetated terrain, the left main landing gear separated, and the left wing impacted the terrain, resulting in substantial damage to the aft fuselage. The airplane was recovered to a secure facility for further examination.