Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to remove the towbar from the nose landing gear before takeoff, which resulted in a sustained adverse yaw condition, and his failure to adequately monitor the fuel system while circling the airport, which resulted in fuel starvation and loss of power to the right engine.
NTSB analysis
The pilot departed on a local flight with the towbar attached to the nose landing gear. When the pilot rotated the airplane for takeoff, he felt the left rudder pedal “slam to the floor,” and he could not depress the right rudder pedal, which resulted in a sustained adverse yaw condition. The airplane climbed and drifted left of the runway, so the pilot continued the climb to pattern altitude. During the climb, he saw the towbar attached to the nosewheel through a mirror on the left engine nacelle. The pilot circled the airport about 30 minutes while assistance arrived. During the last circle, as he was descending, the right engine lost power. The pilot recalled that the right fuel gauge showed “low,” and the left fuel gauge was about 1/2 full. The pilot began to crossfeed fuel to the right engine, but he was unsuccessful in getting the right engine to restart. The pilot was unable to maintain airspeed and altitude and was having difficulty maintaining directional control of the airplane, so he elected to land the airplane in an open field. The airplane sustained damage to the fuselage and right wing during the landing.
Although the airplane manual states that the crossfeed is to be used in level flight only, the pilot reported that fuel was being fed to the right fuel tank as evidenced by the fuel gauge indication increasing. The pilot reported the airplane’s altitude was a couple hundred feet above the ground when he turned the crossfeed on and this may have prevented him from having adequate time to restart the engine as he was occupied with trying to land the airplane.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN21LA174 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Mar 10, 2021
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Colby, Kansas
- Nearest airport
- (CBK)
- Highest injury
- Minor
- Minor injuries
- 1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Night, dark
Beech 95-B55 (T42A)
- N-number
- N568P
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1978
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.