BEECH H35

Full Narrative

On February 17, 2009, at 0928 central standard time, a Beech H35, N7942D, piloted by a commercial pilot, was substantially damaged during a forced landing to a field one mile east of runway 09 at East Kansas City Airport (3GV), Grain Valley, Missouri. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot was not injured. The cross country flight departed 3GV and was en route to Atchison, Kansas (K59).

The pilot said that shortly after takeoff, the aircraft's engine lost all power. The pilot attempted to restart the engine but without success. He made a forced landing in an open field. During the landing roll-out, the left wing struck a tree causing the airplane to spin around. An on scene examination showed that the left wing was substantially damaged from the landing gear outboard. The wing's leading edge was wrinkled, the wing spar was damaged, and the nose gear strut assembly was sheared off. The pilot reported no mechanical anomalies prior to the engine losing power. An examination of the airplane' s engine and engine driven fuel pump revealed "foreign matter under the pressure relief valve", which allowed "fuel to bypass" the carburetor and return to the fuel tank instead.