Beech V35 accident near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, July 25, 2009
On July 25, 2009 at about 1:52 pm local time, a Beech V35, registered N9112S, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (climb to cruise) near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Wiley Post Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 4 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s decision to operate an airplane with known deficiencies, and the loss of engine power during climb for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 25, 2009 · about 1:52 pm local time
- Place
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma · Wiley Post Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 4 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech V35 B · all V35s on the register
- Registration
- N9112S · registry record · serial D-9856
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane had a previous history of in-flight engine stoppages, and the engine lost power twice within the week before the accident. The pilot did not have his mechanic investigate the cause of those events, as he believed when the engine lost power the airplane was in a fuel cross feed position, and all he had to do was to switch to a main fuel tank. On the day of the accident the airplane was two miles from the airport after departure when the pilot reported a loss of engine power to air traffic controllers. The pilot executed an off-airport emergency landing to a congested area, adjacent to a major six-lane thoroughfare. The airplane was substantially damaged when it impacted a tree and the concrete base of a light pole, during the emergency landing. The engine was recovered from the wreckage and installed in an engine test cell. It started on the first attempt and ran at full throttle with no anomalies noted. A postexamination of the other airplane systems showed no anomalies. The pilot had been treated for anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, and obstructive sleep apnea, among other significant conditions. He had been on multiple medications at the time of the accident including at least an antidepressant, a blood thinner and a potentially impairing prescription medication often used for the treatment of chronic pain. The pilot denied any medical conditions or the use of medications in his most recent application for an airman medical certificate. It was not possible to conclusively determine whether distraction or impairment due to his medical conditions or to medication use may have played a role in his decision-making following the loss of engine power. The pilot’s fatal injuries were likely a result of the impact between his chest and the control yoke. It could not be conclusively determined the extent to which the forward cabin structure and the control yoke in particular were moving aft relative to the rest of the cabin structure following the primary impact with the ground, but it is possible that the likelihood or severity of the pilot’s impact with the control yoke would have been reduced through the availability and use of a shoulder harness.
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
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Power plant › (general) › Malfunction
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
- Personnel issues › Physical › Health/Fitness › Use of medication/drugs › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Physical › Health/Fitness › (general) › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Equipment/furnishings › Passenger compartment equip › Design
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,459 hours in all; 315 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: July 20, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,094 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 23, 2008; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PWA Oklahoma City OK at 1:47 pm
- Destination: WDG Enid OK
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from KPWA, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 CEN09FA462.