CEN21LA174

Factual narrative

On March 10, 2021, about 0230 central daylight time, a Beech 95-B55 airplane, N568P, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an airplane accident near Colby, Kansas. The pilot had minor injuries. The airplane was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. When rotating the airplane for takeoff, the pilot felt the left rudder pedal “slam to the floor” and he could not depress the right rudder pedal. Once airborne, the airplane drifted left of the runway and the pilot was unable to apply enough right rudder to correct the heading, so he continued the climb to pattern altitude. During the climb, he saw the towbar still attached to the nosewheel through the mirror on the left engine nacelle. The pilot circled over the airport and phoned for assistance. The pilot circled the airport at an altitude of 4,000 ft above mean sea level for about 30 minutes while help arrived. While making the last circle, he noticed 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 turned on the crossfeed and the low boost pump. He noted that the right fuel gauge began to increase; however, he reported that he should have turned it on earlier. The pilot reported his altitude was 250 – 300 ft above ground level at this time and he was unable to gain airspeed or altitude. Having difficulty with directional control, the pilot opted to perform a landing to an open field. During the landing, the fuselage and right wing sustained substantial damage. The aircraft manual states that the crossfeed is to be used only when the airplane is in level flight. Due to the lack of available mechanics in the local area, a detailed engine examination could not be facilitated. 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.   Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

• — Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid management
• — Personnel issues-Task performance-Inspection-Preflight inspection-Pilot
• — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of equip/system-Pilot