Bonanza 36
Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Private
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 20; Flight Crew Total 4750; Flight Crew Type 2177
Human-Machine Interface; Situational Awareness
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical
Flight Crew Landed in Emergency Condition; Flight Crew Diverted
Aircraft; Human Factors
Prior to the flight I did a normal pre-flight inspection; following the Beech pilot's manual list. No discrepancies were observed. I departed with 20 gallons of useful fuel. While in cruise flight at 2500 feet MSL on an 18 NM flight the plane had a sudden drop in power. I immediately pushed the mixture to full rich. I turned on the auxiliary fuel pump and turned the fuel selector to the other tank. There was no increase in power and I observed on the engine instruments that all exhaust and cylinder temperatures were rapidly cooling. I declared an emergency with Tower and turned back to the field; an estimated 7 miles away. It quickly became apparent that I would not be able to glide to the airport. I assessed that the local X site was my best choice for landing without endangering people on the ground.  The landing was uneventful; no damage to the plane; no injuries to the two occupants; and no injuries to anyone on the ground.
BE36 pilot experiences an engine failure shortly after takeoff on an 18 minute flight with 20 gallons of fuel aboard. With the departure airport unreachable an emergency off airport landing is accomplished successfully.