Beech A35 accident near Centralia, IL
On July 23, 2022, a Beech A35 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Centralia, IL. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- July 23, 2022
- Place
- Centralia, IL
- Aircraft
- Beech A35 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 38.531°N, 89.087°W
- NTSB ID
- 20220723105554
Official records · DCA22FA157
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On July 23, 2022, about 1238 central daylight time, a Beech A35, N8466A, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident in Centralia, Illinois. The pilot was seriously injured, and the passenger was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that he had purchased the airplane in April 2022. According to the pilot, the accident flight departed Marshall County Airport (C75), Lacon, Illinois, with the fuel selector set to the left tank. About 1 hour 13 minutes into the flight, the airplane was near Centralia Municipal Airport (ENL), Centralia, Illinois, while at a cruising altitude of 6,500 ft mean sea level and on a southerly heading. At that time, the pilot switched the fuel selector to the right tank “just in case” because he “didn’t trust the wobble pump” (a mechanism combined with the fuel tank selector valve). The pilot recalled that it was “hard to feel the detents” in the selector valve and that it was “possible that it [the selector valve] was not fully engaged.” About 4 to 5 minutes later, the engine lost total power. The pilot reported that the engine did not “sputter” and that he noted no abnormal indications before the loss of power. He stated that engine power reduced to 1,500 rpm and that the engine and propeller noise decreased. The pilot realized that the airplane had just overflown ENL, so he made a right turn to reverse course and land there. The pilot thought that, with engine power at 1,500 rpm, the airplane would have sufficient power for a left traffic pa
Probable cause
The pilot’s unsuccessful attempt to switch fuel tanks, which resulted in fuel starvation. Contributing to the accident was the uninstalled fuel selector handle warning device.
More accidents in IL
- Beech 1900C, Nov 19, 1996
- Beech C-45H, Sep 7, 1992
- Hawker Siddeley HS-748-2A, Oct 12, 1983
- Cessna 414A, Apr 7, 2015
- Cessna 172P, Jul 19, 1997
Browse: Illinois · Beech aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
