On November 7, 2010, a Beech 35-33, Debonair was involved in an aviation accident near Münster-Telgte, DE. This summary draws on records from the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU).
On 7 November 2010, a Beech 35-33, Debonair, crashed near Münster-Telgte after an engine failure on approach. The pilot and three passengers were seriously injured, and the aircraft was destroyed.
Overview and flight details On the morning of 7 November 2010, a Beech 35-33, Debonair, departed Münster-Telgte with the pilot and three passengers for St. Peter Ording. The flight time was recorded as 1 hour 18 minutes. After a planned two-hour stop, the aircraft returned to Münster-Telgte under visual flight rules, departing at 14:00 local time. No refueling was performed at the destination. ## Approach and impact The aircraft approached the uncontrolled traffic aerodrome from the northeast and entered the south traffic pattern for runway 10. The pilot did not contact the aerodrome for landing information. During the final approach, the engine stopped, and the propeller ceased turning. With the landing gear extended, the aircraft lost altitude rapidly and impacted the ground at approximately 15:07 local time, about 2,000 m from the runway threshold, without a recovery arc. The aircraft was destroyed. ## Aircraft and maintenance The Beech 35-33, Debonair, was a 1960 single-engine, four- to five-seat low-wing metal aircraft with retractable landing gear and a maximum takeoff mass of 1,315 kg. Total time since manufacture was 3,057 hours. The last airworthiness inspection, including a 100-hour check, was completed on 11 June 2010. The aircraft had accumulated 29 hours since that inspection without major findings. The engine was a 225 hp Continental IO 470, with 1,458 hours since the last overhaul. Two days before the accident, an aviation technical service reported the ignition and fuel systems and controls in good condition, with cylinder compression within limits. At the time of the accident, mass and center of gravity were within limits. ## Fuel system findings The aircraft had left and right wing tanks of 22 gallons each and an auxiliary tank system of 20 gallons split between two 10-gallon wing containers. The tank selector had a common third position for the auxiliary tanks. Unapproved tip tanks were installed but not used. At the accident site, no fuel was found in the lines to the fuel manifold, and the lines to the flow meter and throttle valve were dry. A small amount of fuel could be drained from the tank selector drain valve. A first responder, at the pilot’s instruction, moved the tank selector to “OFF” after the crash but could not recall its previous position. Microscopic examination of the fuel selector cover found an impact mark indicating the selector had been in the “left tank” position before impact. Fuel recovered from the tanks was approximately 70 liters of avgas in the left tank, 20 liters in the right tank, and 5 liters in the auxiliary tank. ## Data and site findings Radar and GPS data were available for analysis. The accident site was in a field with low crop growth to the right of the runway 10 approach centerline. The aircraft struck the ground with a 40–45° longitudinal attitude and was destroyed forward to the wing leading edges. Parts of the right wing, cockpit glazing, instruments, and the right aileron lay in a 40 m debris field toward 120° from the main wreckage. The landing flaps were extended 10°. The nose gear was torn off. The left main gear was extended and locked, while the right main gear was retracted in the gear bay with a broken drag link. The engine lay separated in front of the wreckage, which slid 25 m toward 025° before stopping. One propeller blade was bent back about 45°; the other two showed no visible deformation. An onboard engine monitoring device, EDM 700, recorded the entire 1 hour 07 minute flight at 30-second intervals and showed no engine irregularities before the recording ended.