- Date
- February 21, 1990, 00:50 local (06:50 UTC)
- Place
- Carrollton, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N236SBeech S35
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report February 8, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900221002469A
- Case key
- 23108
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
Starvation induced power loss caused by the pilot's improper selection/management of the appropriate fuel tank. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's poor inflight planning which resulted in running a fuel tank dry.
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
The pilot mismanaged the fuel system of the aircraft during the latter portion of a cross county flight which resulted in a total non-mechanical, loss of power. The aircraft was vectored to the nearest airport, but struck a tree and the terrain approximately 3 statute miles short of the runway. The pilot attempted to restart the engine, but could not, during the forced landing. The pilot was flying with the left fuel tank selected which was found depleted of useable fuel at the accident site. The right fuel tank was 3/4 full of useable, clean fuel. After the loss of power, the fuel pump cavitated due to fuel exhaustion and the pilot did not have sufficient time or altitude to perform a restart.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N236S
- Reported as
- Beech S35
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- D-7858
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-BA, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Executive Flight
- Departed
- OKC · Oklahoma City, OK
- Destination
- DAL · Dallas, TX
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 29
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 1,557 total · 210 in this make and model · 1,504 as pilot in command · 253 in the last 90 days · 80 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 100° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DAL, 10 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.
Other investigations on N236S · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.