Beech 35 accident near Palestine, TX
On March 6, 2021, a Beech 35 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Palestine, TX. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- March 6, 2021
- Place
- Palestine, TX
- Aircraft
- Beech 35 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 31.714°N, 95.677°W
- NTSB ID
- 20210307102723
Official records · CEN21LA151
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn March 6, 2021, about 1217 central standard time, a Beech 35 airplane, N3394V, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Palestine, Texas. The private pilot sustained fatal injuries, and the private copilot sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight. The airplane was recently purchased by the copilot. The pilot traveled from out of state to help the copilot fly the airplane from Chambers County Airport (T00), Anahuac, Texas, to the copilot’s hangar at Airpark East Airport (1F7), Dallas, Texas, a distance of about 200 nautical miles. The day before the accident, a pre-buy/annual inspection was performed by a mechanic on the airplane with no issues annotated in the maintenance records. The copilot reported that the generator was not functioning, and the placard on the fuel selector was present. The airplane was topped off with 100 low lead fuel. According to the copilot, the left fuel tank contained 17 gallons, the right fuel tank contained 17 gallons, and the auxiliary fuel tank in the baggage compartment contained 20 gallons for a total of 54 gallons. On the day of the accident, the pilot and copilot performed traffic pattern maneuvers, and no issues were noted with the airplane except for the inoperative generator. They then departed for 1F7. The flight was conducted with the retractable landing gear extended. During the flight, both pilots flew the airplane. The copilot reported that the fuel gauges “worked normally,” that the carburetor heat w
Probable cause
A total loss of engine power due to the flight crew incorrectly placing the fuel selector between fuel tank detents, which resulted in fuel starvation. Contributing to the accident was the lack of a placard on the fuel selector, the lack of obvious fuel tank detents in the fuel selector, and the flight crew’s lack of understanding of proper fuel selector operation.
More accidents in TX
- Kubicek BB85, Jul 30, 2016
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Browse: Texas · Beech aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
