N864RBeech 35-33 · 1959

On October 23, 2025, about 1713 central daylight time, a Beech 35-33 airplane, N864R, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Flippin, Arkansas. The pilot sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot reported that two days before the accident he flew the airplane from Dodge City Regional Airport (DDC), Dodge City, Kansas, to Marion County Regional Airport (FLP), Flippin, Arkansas. After landing, he refueled the airplane using the airport’s self-service fuel pump. After refueling, the airplane had about 63 gallons of fuel onboard. The pilot left the airplane tied down on the ramp under a fabric cover while he went fly fishing for a couple of days.

The pilot returned two days later for an intended flight from FLP to DDC. He uncovered the airplane, completed a preflight inspection, started the engine normally, and taxied to the end of runway 4 where he completed an engine runup check that was part of his personal “CCEGSTAR” checklist (cabin, controls, computers, engine, gas, seatbelt, trim, altimeter, and runup).

The pilot reported that the engine parameters were nominal during the takeoff roll and that rotation and liftoff were achieved about 1,000 ft down the runway at 68 knots indicated airspeed. After liftoff, he established a positive rate of climb, retracted the landing gear, and reduced engine speed to 2,500 rpm. About midfield, he entered a climbing right turn before he leveled the wings about 150 ft above ground level (agl) at which time the airplane had a total loss of engine power.

After the loss of engine power, the pilot reduced airplane pitch and entered a left descending turn to land on the runway heading the opposite direction used for takeoff. The pilot stated that the airplane did not have sufficient altitude to reach the runway and it impacted the ground and an unoccupied skid-steer bucket loader that was parked on the airport property near the perimeter fence.

A postaccident review of recovered data from the airplane’s primary flight display (PFD) revealed normal engine operation until a sudden loss of fuel flow to the engine during initial climb. According to the recorded data, about 31 seconds after takeoff engine power was selected, the fuel flow decreased from 23.8 gallons per hour (gph) to 1.1 gph over a 10 second period. The fuel flow then decreased to 0.3 gph over the final 10 seconds of recorded data.

Two of the pilot’s friends witnessed the accident. One of the witnesses reported that shortly after takeoff he heard the airplane’s engine backfire and then a loss of engine power. The airplane entered a descending left turn and crashed on the airport property. The two witnesses immediately responded to the accident site. While driving to the accident site, one of the witnesses called 911 to report the accident. The other witnesses stated that upon arrival at the accident site he was concerned about the potential for a fire and began looking for a fire extinguisher and anything that resembled a fuel control (red-colored knobs, levers, switches). He recalled the pilot remained seated in the left cockpit seat and was bleeding from a chin laceration. He reached into the cockpit to reposition the pilot, but the pilot’s legs were wedged below the instrument panel near the rudder pedals. He stopped repositioning the pilot from the left seat after the pilot complained of back pain. The witness stated that he does not recall the pilot asking him to complete any airplane specific tasks. He and the other witness waited with the pilot until emergency personnel arrived onsite.

Emergency personnel reported that the airplane’s cabin roof was removed to lift the pilot from the left cockpit seat. The pilot was then transferred to an ambulance for additional medical evaluation. After the pilot was removed from the airplane, emergency personnel found the airplane’s fuel selector valve in the off position. One of the emergency personnel remarked that, while seated in the airplane’s left cockpit seat, the pilot’s leg/foot position would have prevented access to the fuel selector valve.

The airplane wreckage recovery personnel noted that the fuel selector assembly was obscured by the left cockpit seat. The left cockpit seat was subsequently repositioned to observe the fuel selector assembly and its handle which was in the off position.

When interviewed, the pilot indicated that he had flown the accident airplane at least 2,200 hours since he began flying it in 1992. He stated that he never turned the fuel selector to off following a flight. He indicated that his normal routine was to takeoff with the fuel selector in the left fuel tank position because excess fuel is returned from the engine to the left fuel tank. The pilot does not recall repositioning the fuel selector valve to off after the accident but opined that his friend who responded to the accident site might have turned the fuel selector to off.

A postaccident examination of the fuel system revealed no fuel system blockages between the fuel tanks and the engine fuel manifold valve. There were several fuel line separations consistent with impact-related damage, but residual fuel was found within the remaining intact fuel lines. There was no evidence of an existing fuel leak. The fuel selector valve was found in the off position. There were no anomalies noted with the fuel selector valve when it was tested with compressed air. The fuel strainer assembly contained residual uncontaminated fuel. The auxiliary fuel pump switch was found in the off position. The auxiliary fuel pump motor functioned when battery power was applied. The engine-driven fuel pump drive coupling was found intact. The engine-driven fuel pump shaft rotated smoothly by hand. There were no mechanical issues observed with the fuel metering device. All fuel finger screens were free of contamination. The fuel flow transducer contained residual fuel and was free of contamination. There were no obstructions observed when the fuel flow transducer and fuel manifold valve were tested with compressed air.

The airplane wreckage was retained pending additional examination and component testing.