Beech E35 accident near Bloomington, Indiana, November 20, 2008
On November 20, 2008 at about 12:30 pm local time, a Beech E35, registered N3213C, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Bloomington, Indiana (Monroe County airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A partial loss of engine power due to a failure of the number one cylinder exhaust valve, and the associated secondary damage to the intake valve and piston.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 20, 2008 · about 12:30 pm local time
- Place
- Bloomington, Indiana · Monroe County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech E35 · all E35s on the register
- Registration
- N3213C · no longer on the register · serial D-3877
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the engine began to run rough during cruise flight at 6,000 feet mean sea level. He noted that the takeoff and climb were uneventful, and that the personal instrument-flight-rules flight had proceeded normally to that point. He advised air traffic control of the situation and elected to divert to an intermediate airport located approximately 10 miles west of his present position. The pilot increased the mixture, switched fuel tanks, and applied carburetor heat in an attempt to address the rough running engine; however, those efforts were not successful. The number one cylinder temperature had dropped and the engine oil pressure subsequently went to zero. He notified the controller that he would be unable to make it to the runway and set up for a forced landing in a pasture about 3.5 miles east of the airport. The terrain consisted of rolling hills. After touchdown, he was unable to stop the airplane before the aircraft impacted a fence or trees. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the leading edges of both wings. A postaccident inspection revealed that the number one cylinder exhaust valve had failed at the base of the valve stem. The intake valve and piston sustained mechanical damage as a result. The secondary mechanical damage precluded a metallurgical examination of the fracture surface of the exhaust valve stem. The engine had accumulated about 1,130 hours since overhaul and the airplane had accumulated about 26 hours of flight time since the most recent annual inspection, which was completed approximately one month prior to the accident.
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
What happened, in order
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Loss of engine power (partial) during enroute (cruise)
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng cyl section › Failure
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng cyl section › Damaged/degraded
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 3,300 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 3,200 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 9, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,443 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 10, 2008; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,735 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cont Motor E225 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Six Four Alpha LLC
The flight
- Departed from: UMP Indianapolis IN at 12:00 pm
- Destination: OWB Owensboro KY
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,200 ft
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
- Observation at 12:46 pm from BMG, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN09CA080.