NTSB Identification: WPR12LA246
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, May 27, 2012 in Santa Ynez, CA
Aircraft: BEECH B36TC, registration: N8234M
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On May 27, 2012, about 0810 Pacific daylight time (PDT), a Beech B36TC, N8234M, experienced a total loss of engine power and landed gear-up in a field near Santa Ynez, California. The pilot was operating the airplane under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The private pilot was not injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damaged to the lower fuselage during the accident sequence. The cross-country personal flight departed Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, Santa Barbara, California, about 0750, with a planned destination of Mammoth Yosemite Airport, Mammoth Lakes, California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a visual flight rules flight plan had been filed.

The pilot reported taking off from Santa Barbara, and initiating a climb to the northwest. He was subsequently cleared by air traffic control personnel to climb to an altitude of 8,500 feet above mean sea level (msl). During the initial climb he began his cruise-climb checklist, completing it as the airplane reached an altitude of 4,500 feet msl. As he continued the climb, he noted that the ground was obscured by clouds to the northeast in the Santa Ynez area. About the time the airplane reached 8,500 feet, the engine lost all power. He immediately configured the airplane for best glide airspeed, switched the fuel tank selector valve position, and began to follow the emergency checklist from memory.

The pilot continued to troubleshoot as the airplane descended through a broken layer of clouds. Unable to restart the engine, and having reached an altitude of 2,300 feet msl, he focused his attention on landing at Santa Ynez Airport, which was about 3 miles away, and obscured from view by clouds. Unable to reach the airport, he performed a forced landing into a ploughed field.

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