Beech C24R accident near Titusville, Florida, July 10, 2014
On July 10, 2014 at about 3:50 pm local time, a 1982 Beech C24R, registered N6222Q, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (descent) near Titusville, Florida (Arthur Dunn Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to secure the fuel strainer drain during the preflight inspection, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 10, 2014 · about 3:50 pm local time · cases in 2014
- Place
- Titusville, Florida · Arthur Dunn Airpark · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech C24R, built 1982 · all C24Rs on the register
- Registration
- N6222Q · no longer on the register · serial MC-771
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, while conducting a preflight inspection, he looked inside the wing fuel tanks and estimated that there was about 27 gallons of fuel. He then departed on a local flight to test the avionics and autopilot system. While returning to the airport after an approximate 1-hour flight, the engine experienced a total loss of power, and the pilot attempted a forced landing on the roof of a building. The airplane crashed through the roof, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and flight control surfaces. No visible fuel or fuel odor was noted at the accident site. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that both fuel tanks had been breached and were void of fuel. The fuel strainer sump, which sits forward of the firewall below the fuselage, was found in the open-and-locked position. When the strainer valve's tangs were pushed up and rotated counter-clockwise, the sump remained in the open-and-locked position. The sump sprang back to the closed position when the tangs were pushed up and released. Postaccident fuel consumption calculations and fuel strainer drain testing revealed that the airplane would have burned through and lost about 28 gallons of fuel during the approximate 1-hour flight with the strainer drain not properly secured.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute (descent) defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (descent)
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level other cases naming the fuel system
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel filter › strainer › Inadequate inspection other cases naming the fuel system
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel filter › strainer › Incorrect use/operation other cases naming the fuel system
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,500 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 6.3 in the last 90 days; 2.6 in the last 30 days; 4,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 2, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,835 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 10, 2014; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,757 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6 (piston); 2,830 hours total
- Operator: Southeast Aviation Services, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: TIX Titusville FL at 2:42 pm
- Destination: TIX Titusville FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 2,961 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from TIX, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
16 documents, released by the NTSB on March 24, 2015. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N6222Q: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Beechcraft C24 176 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Beechcraft 6 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6 141 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Arthur Dunn Air Park Airport · nearest airport
- Space Coast Regional · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Florida 6,111 since 1982 · 985 in the last ten years
- Florida 21,699 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA14LA336.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.