Beech C35 accident near Medina, Ohio, July 20, 2011
On July 20, 2011 at about 5:27 pm local time, a Beech C35, registered N1883D, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (climb to cruise) near Medina, Ohio (Medina Municipal Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power due to fuel starvation due to an age-related failure of the engine-driven fuel pump. Also causal was the failure of the maintenance facility to overhaul the fuel pump and the failure of the operator to ensure that the pump was overhauled.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 20, 2011 · about 5:27 pm local time
- Place
- Medina, Ohio · Medina Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech C35 · all C35s on the register
- Registration
- N1883D · no longer on the register · serial D-3155
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane lost total engine power while climbing through about 200 feet above ground level after takeoff. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the engine-driven fuel pump was leaking fuel through an internal diaphragm and out of a vent hole, thus fuel was not reaching the engine. Although the engine was overhauled about 11 years before the accident, the operator's mechanic stated that there were no records showing that the engine driven fuel pump was overhauled at that time or at any time since it was installed on the engine about 1956. The engine manufacturer recommends that all engine accessories be overhauled when the engine is overhauled.
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 (climb to cruise) defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (climb to cruise)
- Loss of engine power (total) during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Scheduled/routine maintenance › Maintenance personnel
- cause Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Oversight › Oversight of maintenance › Operator
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control › Fuel pump › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft handling/service › Maintenance/inspections › (general) › Incorrect service/maintenance
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Not specified
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane
- Flight time: 1,765 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 260 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,598.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 31, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 2,700 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental Motors E185 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Flight Services Of Medina
The flight
- Departed from: 1G5 Medina OH at 5:27 pm
- Destination: Unknown
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 27, 3,556 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 4:54 pm from AKR, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
Other NTSB records under N1883D the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.