Beech BE-36 accident near Green Sea, South Carolina, October 2, 2020

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The pilot stated that he moved the fuel selector from the auxiliary tank position to the right tank position and then initiated a descent to toward the destination airport. At that time, the engine “went back to idle, like someone had pulled the throttle back.” The pilot moved the propeller, throttle, and mixture levers full forward, checked switch positions, and tried all positions on the fuel selector, and power was not restored. He “bumped” the fuel boost pump to the ON position, then turned it off to prevent flooding of the engine. The pilot turned toward the nearest airport and the airplane collided with trees and terrain about 1 mile from the airport, resulting in substantial damage. Examination and testing of the engine and fuel selector resulted in a successful engine run, and the fuel selector functioned as designed with no anomalies noted. Comparisons of engine monitoring data, flight track data, and construction of the fuel system revealed signatures consistent with the fuel selector having been moved from the auxiliary tank position to an intermediate position before the right tank position, which stopped the flow of fuel. The fuel between the fuel selector and the engine provided power briefly, and then engine power stopped when the pilot initiated the descent, and the pilot’s remedial actions failed to restore engine power. A placard on the accident airplane’s fuel selector plate stated, “Warning: Position Selector in Detents Only. No Fuel Flow to Engine Between Detents.”

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.