Flight Was About 60 Miles Short Of Destination Airport

The NTSB has issued a preliminary report from an accident near Destin, FL on December 18 which fatally injured the pilot of a Beechcraft G36 Bonanza. The flight was about 60 miles from the destination airport, Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Florida (KDTS), when the pilot reported to air traffic control that he had lost all engine power. The controller provided information on nearby airports and the pilot maneuvered the airplane in the direction of Sandy Creek Airpark (75FL). Radio and radar contact was eventually lost and a search for the airplane was initiated. The wreckage was located in a heavily wooded area about one mile east of 75FL. There were no known witnesses to the accident.

The aircraft impacted trees and terrain during a forced landing attempt near Panama City, Florida. The airline transport-rated pilot was fatally injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to and operated by Grey Aviation, Inc. as a business flight. Day, visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan. The flight originated from North Palm Beach County General Aviation Airport (F45), West Palm Beach, Florida about 0554 EST.

The wreckage was found generally intact. All primary flight control surfaces remained attached, and flight control continuity was confirmed from the cockpit controls to all surfaces. The landing gear and wing flaps were found in the retracted (up) positions. A tree strike at the right wing root pushed the leading edge upward and blocked the cabin door from being opened. There was no evidence of fire noted. The throttle was aft at the idle position, the propeller lever was aft at the full decrease position, and the mixture lever was full forward at the "full rich" position. The auxiliary/emergency fuel boost pump switch was in the "OFF" position.

The cockpit fuel selector valve was found in the "left tank" position and the valve operated normally when tested with forced air. The left and right wing tip tanks were empty of fuel. The right wing main tank, consisting of a rubber bladder assembly, was compromised due to leading edge wing damage. A small amount of residual fuel was noted inside the tank. The left wing main tank contained about one pint of fuel. The left main tank was not compromised, and the lines from the tank to the fuel selector valve were intact. When the fuselage was lifted by aircraft recovery personnel, a ground scar was present. The ground scar was filled in with water due to the saturation of the ground at the accident site. A layer of fuel was observed on top of the surface of the water, which was collected and quantified. The total amount of observed fuel, including the residual fuel in the tanks, was less than 3 gallons. According to the airplane manufacturer, about 3 gallons of fuel are considered "unusable" in each main fuel tank.

(Bonanza G36 pictured in file photo. Not accident airplane)

FMI: www.ntsb.gov