- Date
- January 9, 1989, 17:10 local (23:10 UTC)
- Place
- Pawhuska, OK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4521SBeech V35B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report July 11, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890109000359A
- Case key
- 22827
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Fuel tank selector valve being inadvertently switched off and the pilot's emergency procedures inadequate in discoveringand correcting the problem. This resulted in the fuel starvation related power loss. Contributing to the accident was the rough terrain on which the forced landing was performed and the fence which was contacted.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
A loss of power occurred at 5,500 feet when the cabin door popped open and the pilot slid from the left seat to the right seat to close it. When the throttle was advanced there was no response. The fuel selector was found positioned between tanks, effectively shutting off the fuel supply to the engine. The airplane was damaged when it collided with a fence during the forced landing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4521S
- Reported as
- Beech V35B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- D9459
- Airframe hours
- 2,626
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-BA, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Stillwater Flight Center, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Stillwater Flight Center, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 30, 1988 · 22 hours before
- Departed
- SWO · Stillwater, OK
- Destination
- STL · St. Louis, MO
- Airport
- H76 · Pawhuska, Ok
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 39
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 565 total · 7 in this make and model · 533 as pilot in command · 47 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 160° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BVO, 21 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.