Narrative:

On nov/xa/00 I was cleared to land on runway 29L at sjc airport. My flight had originated at sna and had been uneventful. On short final the engine stopped producing power. At that time I had approximately 20 gallons of fuel in each main tank, plus an additional 10 gallons in each tip tank. The tower called with an altitude alert which I confirmed. I went to 'full rich,' 'full power,' and 'high RPM' with no effect. I changed tanks with no effect. I notified an emergency landing. I landed on an 'on-ramp' of the 87 freeway. No one was injured and the aircraft was not damaged. After exhaustive test/troubleshooting, no problem was discovered the following day. I should have been more vigilant of the engine while on final, detecting the loss of power earlier may have permitted me to land at the airport rather than risk an off-field landing. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the pilot stated that the initial start of this event was the in-trail procedure as used by O90 approach control. GA aircraft are cleared to follow the runway 30L localizer some mi out south of sjc with the larger jets overflying them. Later, that GA aircraft has to fit into the final, landing runway 29L. Reporter was asked to keep his speed up and was held high. When cleared for the visual to runway 29L he was high and had to then drop his gear and increase his rate of descent with a side-slip maneuver. He figures that the slip lasted some time over 25-30 seconds. The rest of the story to landing is known. The A36, like all other bonanza models, has unbaffled tanks, allowing free 'sloshing' of fuel within the tank during any side-slip maneuver. This may uncover a fuel port, leading up to a vapor lock and fuel starvation if, as the pilot's handbook says, '...the slip is maintained for over 30 seconds....' (in checking with the bonanza society, it was noted that they recommend a maximum time of slip with partial tanks of only 20 seconds.) the pilot did not have any clue as to loss of power as the propeller was still windmilling, with no alternator light to say the engine was not producing power. Pilot stated that there was no conclusion after the postflt inspection as to what the real cause was, water in the fuel or fuel starvation. Pilot stated that he wished he had tried the boost pump but there was little time for much action, landing during rush hour traffic on the 87 freeway, though the ramp was clear. The highway patrol handled traffic, with the aircraft eventually taxiing under its own power to the next off-ramp where it was later towed to the sjc airport through a gate that had been made available for airport construction, a 4-HR adventure.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN A36 BEECH BONANZA PLT LOSES PWR TO HIS ENG DURING A NIGHT OP AND LANDS 1 MI SHORT OF THE RWY 29L RWY ON AN ON-RAMP TO 87 FREEWAY NEAR SJC, CA.

Narrative: ON NOV/XA/00 I WAS CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 29L AT SJC ARPT. MY FLT HAD ORIGINATED AT SNA AND HAD BEEN UNEVENTFUL. ON SHORT FINAL THE ENG STOPPED PRODUCING PWR. AT THAT TIME I HAD APPROX 20 GALLONS OF FUEL IN EACH MAIN TANK, PLUS AN ADDITIONAL 10 GALLONS IN EACH TIP TANK. THE TWR CALLED WITH AN ALT ALERT WHICH I CONFIRMED. I WENT TO 'FULL RICH,' 'FULL PWR,' AND 'HIGH RPM' WITH NO EFFECT. I CHANGED TANKS WITH NO EFFECT. I NOTIFIED AN EMER LNDG. I LANDED ON AN 'ON-RAMP' OF THE 87 FREEWAY. NO ONE WAS INJURED AND THE ACFT WAS NOT DAMAGED. AFTER EXHAUSTIVE TEST/TROUBLESHOOTING, NO PROB WAS DISCOVERED THE FOLLOWING DAY. I SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE VIGILANT OF THE ENG WHILE ON FINAL, DETECTING THE LOSS OF PWR EARLIER MAY HAVE PERMITTED ME TO LAND AT THE ARPT RATHER THAN RISK AN OFF-FIELD LNDG. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE PLT STATED THAT THE INITIAL START OF THIS EVENT WAS THE IN-TRAIL PROC AS USED BY O90 APCH CTL. GA ACFT ARE CLRED TO FOLLOW THE RWY 30L LOC SOME MI OUT S OF SJC WITH THE LARGER JETS OVERFLYING THEM. LATER, THAT GA ACFT HAS TO FIT INTO THE FINAL, LNDG RWY 29L. RPTR WAS ASKED TO KEEP HIS SPD UP AND WAS HELD HIGH. WHEN CLRED FOR THE VISUAL TO RWY 29L HE WAS HIGH AND HAD TO THEN DROP HIS GEAR AND INCREASE HIS RATE OF DSCNT WITH A SIDE-SLIP MANEUVER. HE FIGURES THAT THE SLIP LASTED SOME TIME OVER 25-30 SECONDS. THE REST OF THE STORY TO LNDG IS KNOWN. THE A36, LIKE ALL OTHER BONANZA MODELS, HAS UNBAFFLED TANKS, ALLOWING FREE 'SLOSHING' OF FUEL WITHIN THE TANK DURING ANY SIDE-SLIP MANEUVER. THIS MAY UNCOVER A FUEL PORT, LEADING UP TO A VAPOR LOCK AND FUEL STARVATION IF, AS THE PLT'S HANDBOOK SAYS, '...THE SLIP IS MAINTAINED FOR OVER 30 SECONDS....' (IN CHKING WITH THE BONANZA SOCIETY, IT WAS NOTED THAT THEY RECOMMEND A MAX TIME OF SLIP WITH PARTIAL TANKS OF ONLY 20 SECONDS.) THE PLT DID NOT HAVE ANY CLUE AS TO LOSS OF PWR AS THE PROP WAS STILL WINDMILLING, WITH NO ALTERNATOR LIGHT TO SAY THE ENG WAS NOT PRODUCING PWR. PLT STATED THAT THERE WAS NO CONCLUSION AFTER THE POSTFLT INSPECTION AS TO WHAT THE REAL CAUSE WAS, WATER IN THE FUEL OR FUEL STARVATION. PLT STATED THAT HE WISHED HE HAD TRIED THE BOOST PUMP BUT THERE WAS LITTLE TIME FOR MUCH ACTION, LNDG DURING RUSH HR TFC ON THE 87 FREEWAY, THOUGH THE RAMP WAS CLEAR. THE HIGHWAY PATROL HANDLED TFC, WITH THE ACFT EVENTUALLY TAXIING UNDER ITS OWN PWR TO THE NEXT OFF-RAMP WHERE IT WAS LATER TOWED TO THE SJC ARPT THROUGH A GATE THAT HAD BEEN MADE AVAILABLE FOR ARPT CONSTRUCTION, A 4-HR ADVENTURE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.