Beech BE-35 accident near Kingsport, Tennessee, August 31, 2003
On August 31, 2003 at about 8:56 pm local time, a Beech BE-35, registered N4289B, was destroyed in an accident near Kingsport, Tennessee. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The certified flight instructor's mismanagement of the fuel, resulting in a loss of engine power and his failure to maintain airspeed, which resulted in a stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 31, 2003 · about 8:56 pm local time
- Place
- Kingsport, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech BE-35
- Registration
- N4289B · no longer on the register · serial D4302
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor was conducting an instructional flight with a student pilot located in the right front seat. The flight instructor's has 1.5 total hours in make and model. The airplane collided with the ground in a nose down attitude. A left and right wing leading edge ground scar was present on the ground. The left and right fuel main fuel tanks contain 20 gallons of fuel per side, and 17 gallons are useable. Both left and right main fuel tanks were ruptured. The left and right auxiliary fuel tip tanks were inoperative. The fuel selector valve was found in the right main fuel tank position. Browning of vegetation was present in front of the right main fuel tank. No browning of vegetation was present in the vicinity of the left main fuel tank. Review of performance data revealed the airplane would have used 16.4 gallons of fuel. Examination of the engine assembly revealed no anomalies.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot (unmanned)
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,094 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 4,644 as pilot in command; 1,508 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 17 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,291 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E225-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TRI Blountville TN at 8:07 pm
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from TRI, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.