N577BBeech A35 · 1948

On October 7, 2025, at 1223 central daylight time, a Beech A35 airplane, N577B, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Skidmore, Texas. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight.

A property owner located near the accident site provided a doorbell camera video recording of the airplane as it descended toward the terrain. The recording showed the airplane for a short time which included audio sounds. When the airplane came into the camera view, it was descending from left to right in the frame. The airplane appeared to be intact in the video recording, and the engine could be heard operating.

The pilot held a private pilot certificate for single engine land airplanes and did not have an instrument rating.

Preliminary ADS-B data indicated that the airplane departed from runway 12 at the Beeville Municipal Airport at 1219. After takeoff, the airplane climbed to about 1,600 ft. msl and then entered a descending right turn which continued to the accident site. The final ADS-B location, at 1223, was about 600 ft. east of the initial impact point. (see figure 1).

Figure 1. Three-dimensional view of the preliminary ADS-B track with accident location markers.

Responding law enforcement officers reported that about the time of the accident, numerous vehicle accidents occurred on nearby roadways due to reduced visibility from heavy rain and storm activity.

The airplane wreckage was distributed along a path oriented about 280°. The main wreckage was located about 500 ft from the initial impact location, and the engine was located about 1,200 ft. from the initial impact location. The main wreckage consisted of the fuselage from the firewall to the empennage surfaces and the left wing of the airplane. The right wing was fragmented with pieces of the right wing located between the initial impact location and the main wreckage. Portions of the right-wing flight control surfaces were also located between the initial impact location and the main wreckage. The left wing was separated from the fuselage but came to rest underneath the fuselage. The wing was continuous from root to tip and the flap and aileron remained attached. The forward fuselage was crushed, and the fuselage was separated just aft of the baggage compartment bulkhead. The aft fuselage was bent forward of the empennage surfaces.

Flight control cable continuity was verified from the empennage and forward to the cockpit controls with no breaks in the control cables. The aileron control system cables were intact. The right-wing aileron control bellcrank had breaks at both bellcrank arms that connected to the control cables. The broken portions of the bellcrank arms remained attached to the cable ends and the arm breaks were consistent with impact damage. The left-wing aileron control bellcrank had a break at one of the bellcrank arms that connected to the control cable. The unbroken arm was still attached to its respective cable. The portion of the broken arm remained attached to the cable end, and the arm break was consistent with impact damage. No defects relating to the primary flight control system were observed during the on-scene examination.

The engine separated from the airframe and was found about 1,200 ft. from the initial impact location. The propeller flange was separated, and the accessory case was fractured. The induction system and exhaust system were separated from the engine. The engine was able to be manually rotated by using a pry bar on the exposed camshaft gear. The rotational speed that could be achieved was not sufficient to verify compression, however; valve action was verified at the No. 6 cylinder rocker arms, confirming crankshaft and camshaft continuity. Borescope examination of each cylinder did not reveal any anomalies that would have prevented normal operation. Both magnetos were separated from the engine. One magneto was located in the debris field but was broken and its operation could not be verified. The second magneto was not observed during the on-scene examination.

The propeller hub and one blade were located during the on-scene examination. The blade was still retained in the hub and exhibited signatures consistent with engine power production at impact. The second blade was located by the recovery company during retrieval after the on-scene examination was completed and exhibited similar damage as the other blade.