Ruckel Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

Niceville, Florida 32578
Wednesday, August 22, 2007 16:00 CDT

The Beech C24R was substantially damaged during the forced landing just after takeoff to the north from the 3,300-foot long, turf runway. The flight was the first flight of the day for the pilot and the airplane. The pilot filled the fuel tanks a few days prior to the accident, and had only flown the airplane once since then, for about 1 1/2 hours. The pilot estimated that that flight consumed approximately 18 of the 57 gallons of usable fuel. During the preflight inspection for the accident flight, the pilot did not look into the wing fuel tanks to check quantity as instructed by the pilot’s operating handbook, since based on his recent fueling and flight history, he “knew the status of the fuel.” The takeoff was normal until approximately 80 feet above ground level, when the pilot experienced what he variously described as a “loss of power" or a “loss of airspeed.” The airplane descended along the runway, and impacted the clearway, in a roughly wings-level attitude. Fuel purchase records and pilot flight records substantiated the pilot’s estimate of his takeoff fuel. However, only minimal amounts of fuel were detected at the accident site. Examination of the airplane did not reveal any indications of preexisting fuel leaks or other mechanical anomalies. Subsequent to the accident, the engine was successfully test-run.

The pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection of the fuel quantity.