- Date
- August 20, 1989, 11:05 local (18:05 UTC)
- Place
- San Diego, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N8868ABeech B35
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 25, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890820030569A
- Case key
- 26481
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
Loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. Factors that related to the accident were: unavaliable altitude, remedial action not possible, unsuitable terrain, high vegetation, and the trees.
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 Beech B35 collided with trees during a forced landing, after the initial takeoff climb. The pilot stated he lost power at about 100 to 150 feet AGL. He maneuvered the airplane towards an open area. The aircraft struck a tree veered sideways, landed hard and slid to a stop. The aircraft was serviced with automotive fuel under an approved supplemental type certificate. A post accident engine exam revealed no damage to the power plant. The engine was tested using fuel from its wing tanks, the engine failure could not be duplicated. The pilot stated he felt he could have started the engine if he had more altitude.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8868A
- Reported as
- Beech B35
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- D-2523
- Airframe hours
- 4,561
- Engine
- Continental E-225-8, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Hopper, Phillip L.
- Registered owner
- Hopper, Phillip L
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 11, 1988 · 167 hours before
- Departed
- MYF · San Diego, CA
- Destination
- GEU · Glendale, AZ
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- MYF · Montgomery, runway 28L, 3,399 × 60 ft, asphalt
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
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,581 total · 388 in this make and model · 1,424 as pilot in command · 27 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MYF, 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.