Beechcraft 35-33 N961T
15 November 1996 · Apple Valley, California, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 15 November 1996 at about 22:05 local time, a Beechcraft 35-33 registered N961T, operated by Norman E. Nissen, was involved in an accident near Apple Valley, California, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 22:05
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Apple Valley, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 34.4192, -117.1394
- Aircraft
- Beechcraft 35-33
- Registration
- N961T
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Norman E. Nissen
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Lake Havasu → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX97LA042
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
fuel starvation, due to plugged fuel system vent lines, which resulted in loss of engine power.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that while he was descending toward the Apple Valley Airport, the engine began to run rough, then it lost power. He was using the left auxiliary fuel cell at the time, and further reported that he immediately switched to the right main tank, which was the fullest. He was unable to obtain a restart, even by positioning the fuel selector to other tanks. As the aircraft neared the ground, the pilot attempted to land on a dirt road, but had insufficient altitude and landed in rough terrain. The aircraft collided with a berm during the landing sequence. Aircraft recovery personnel found about 23 gallons of fuel in the right main tank and 10 gallons in the left auxiliary. Both tanks were leaking fuel at the time. The fuel selector was found positioned to the right main tank. Postcrash inspection of the engine revealed no discrepancies. Inspection of the fuel system revealed that the left auxiliary fuel cell vent lines were plugged by insects and mud at two different internal locations.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Beechcraft 35 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Aug 1996 | Beechcraft 35 | Spokane, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Aug 1996 | Beechcraft 35-33 | Brownsburg, Indiana, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 14 Jan 1996 | Beechcraft 35-A33 | Houston, Texas, United States | Ray's Flying Service | No injuries | - |
| 24 Apr 1996 | Beechcraft 35 | Naperville, Illinois, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 22 Feb 1996 | Beechcraft 35 | Griffin, Georgia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Jan 1996 | Beechcraft 35 | Allenspark, Colorado, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Mar 1996 | Maule M-6-235 | Bishop, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1996 | Cessna 210A | Truckee, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 8 Mar 1996 | Cessna 152 | Santa Paula, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 3 Oct 1996 | Piper PA-28-140 | Plymouth, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Mar 1996 | Cessna T210M | Grass Valley, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 14 Mar 1996 | Cessna 172L | Napa, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |