WPR25LA228

NTSB accident investigation · Beech V35 · Astoria, OR · July 23, 2025

Accident · No injuriesClass 3 · LimitedPreliminary report
Date
July 22, 2025, 17:06 local (Jul 23, 2025, 00:06 UTC)
Place
Astoria, OR
Injuries
2 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Approach
Aircraft
N3785QBeech V35
Defining event
Approach: Loss of engine power (partial)
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Investigation ongoing
Investigation class
Class 3
NTSB office
Western Pacific Region
Parties
Federal Aviation Administration
FAA report
20250722010739A
Case key
200656

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

On this page

Preliminary report

What NTSB knew early in the investigation. It may change in the final report.

On July 22, 2025, about 1706 Pacific daylight time, a Beechcraft Bonanza V35, N3785Q, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Astoria, Oregon. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that he and a flight instructor was enroute to Astoria Regional Airport, Astoria, Oregon to refuel during a cross-country flight to Arlington, Washington. The flight instructor reported that while the pilot maneuvered the airplane for an approach to runway 26, about 400 ft above ground level and about 3 miles southeast of the airport, the engine sputtered. The pilot stated that he immediately advanced the mixture control, but the engine sputtered again and then lost all power. The flight instructor’s subsequent attempt to restart the engine was unsuccessful and he then assumed control of the airplane to execute a forced landing. The airplane touchdown on a gravel road short of runway 26, overran an embankment and came to rest in a field. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the lower fuselage sustained substantial damage. The airplane was recovered to a secure facility for further examination.

Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.

Aircraft

Registration
N3785Q
Reported as
Beech V35
Category
Airplane
Serial number
D-8413
Built
1967
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Operator
Go Fly Missoula LLC
Registered owner
Go Fly Missoula LLC
Departed
KTNK · Tillamook, OR
Destination
KAST · Astoria, OR
Airport
AST · Astoria Rgnl, runway 08/26, 5,794 × 100 ft, asphalt
Equipment
Auto-pilot, Electronic primary flight display, ADS-B, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Satellite tracking device

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.

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
260° at 8 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
64 °F, dew point 55 °F
Altimeter
30.00 inHg
Observed at
KAST, 2 nm away
METAR
KAST 222355Z AUTO 26008KT 10SM CLR 18/13 A3000 RMK AO2 SLP160 T01830128 10194 20156 56007 $

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.