- Date
- April 28, 1990, 14:41 local (19:41 UTC)
- Place
- Tomball, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1ZYBeech BE-35M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900428012909A
- Case key
- 23127
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
An engine failure due to detonation and subsequent piston overtemperature and erosion. A factor related to the accident was the lack of suitable terrain.
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 airplane was damaged when it collided with a fence and a ditch during a forced landing following a complete engine failure. Investigation revealed that the no. 5 piston was severely heat eroded with pieces missing. The erosion allowed exhaust venting (blow by) into the case. There was some evidence of pre-ignition on the other pistons' but not to the extent as on no. 5. It was determined that the engine was 17 hours out of a major overhaul and had been using auto gas at the time of the accident. It appeared that the piston erosion had occurred over a long period of time.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1ZY
- Reported as
- Beech BE-35M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- D-6362
- Airframe hours
- 2,630
- Engine
- Continental IO-470-C, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Davis, Harold E.
- Registered owner
- Davis, Harold E
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 12, 1989 · 64 hours before
- Departed
- DWH
- Destination
- DWH
- Airport
- DWH · David Wayne Hooks, runway 17, 4,000 × 100 ft, dirt
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
- 37
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 814 total · 335 in this make and model · 756 as pilot in command · 17 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DWH, 1 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.