NTSB Factual Report

On November 21, 2001, about 1700 central standard time, a Beech A36, N1836L, registered to, and operated by a private individual, as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, made a forced landing, short of the runway at Choctaw Field, near Milton, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The private-rated pilot, and one passenger received no injuries, and the aircraft incurred substantial damage. The flight originated from Georgetown, Texas, the same day, about 1345.

According to the pilot, he had been airborne for about 3 hours 15 minutes, and after having descended from 7,000 feet, just before reaching his assigned altitude of 5,000 feet, as he manipulated the throttle control to increase engine power, "the throttle had no effect, and the engine appeared to be generating no power." The pilot said that he performed the emergency procedures, but could not get the engine to generate power, so he declared an emergency. He said that he was cleared to a field at his 10 o'clock position, but was not able to glide to the runway, but could make it to a clearing in front of the runway. According to the pilot, he elected to land the aircraft with the landing gear retracted, and during the emergency landing the aircraft skin was wrinkled, and the elevator incurred structural damage.

The pilot stated that he had been operating the aircraft using fuel from the right main fuel tank when the engine had ceased operating, and after the accident, when examined, the right main fuel tank was found to have less than 2 gallons of fuel remaining. The pilot further stated that the left main fuel tank had over 20 gallons of fuel, and that " based upon that information, it can be concluded that the initial reason for the engine loosing power was due to fuel exhaustion from the right main tank..."

The aircraft was examined by a licensed FAA aircraft mechanic, and according to the mechanic, he found a maximum of about a half of a gallon of fuel remaining in the right main fuel tank. The mechanic also said that when he removed fuel from the right main fuel tank, in addition to the fuel, debris also came out of the tank. The mechanic said that he examined the aircraft's induction, fuel and ignition systems, and did not find any malfunctions to any of those systems.

NTSB Probable Cause

the pilot's failure to properly manage the available fuel in all fuel tanks, which resulted in the loss of engine power due to fuel starvation, a forced landing, and damage to the aircraft when the proper touch down point was not attained.