Beech A23-24 accident near Palo Alto, California, August 23, 2011
On August 23, 2011 at about 4:40 pm local time, a Beech A23-24, registered N5779V, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Palo Alto, California (Palo Alto airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student’s and flight instructor’s mismanagement of the fuel supply, resulting in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 23, 2011 · about 4:40 pm local time
- Place
- Palo Alto, California · Palo Alto · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A23-24 · all A23-24s on the register
- Registration
- N5779V · no longer on the register · serial MA-38
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After about an hour of touch-and-go landings in the pattern, the student pilot switched the fuel selector from the right to the left fuel tank. Ten minutes later, after taking off and at 300 to 400 feet above ground level, the engine sustained a total loss of power. The flight instructor performed an off-airport landing on a dirt road. During the landing roll, the airplane’s left wing struck a tree, causing the airplane to veer off the road. The previous day, flight in the airplane started with 40 gallons of fuel and it was flown for 1.5 to 2 hours. The next day, no fuel was added, and the student and instructor flew 1 hour in the pattern. The total fuel used for both flights was between 25.6 and 31.0 gallons. During the recovery of the airplane, 12 gallons of fuel were drained from the right fuel tank, and 2 cups of fuel were drained from the left. During the postaccident engine examination, fuel was supplied and the engine was successfully started and run with no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the fuel system or engine. Consequently, the loss of engine power was a result of fuel starvation when the student selected the empty fuel tank.
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 starvation during initial climb
- Loss of engine power (total) during initial climb defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Flight crew
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Not specified
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 620 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 580 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 30 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,563 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 14, 2010; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KPAO Palo Alto CA at 3:30 pm
- Destination: KPAO Palo Alto CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 2,443 ft by 70 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 4:47 pm from KPAO, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.