Beech A36 accident near Fort Stockton, Texas, March 27, 2013
On March 27, 2013, a Beech A36, registered N888TT, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Fort Stockton, Texas (Fort Stockton-Pecos County 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 student pilot inadvertently switching the fuel selector to the OFF position and the flight instructor's failure to monitor the student pilot's actions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 27, 2013
- Place
- Fort Stockton, Texas · Fort Stockton-Pecos County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A36 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N888TT · no longer on the register · serial E-1641
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was instructed to move the fuel selector from the right tank to the left tank. When the airplane was on the downwind leg for landing, the instructor told the pilot to reduce power and perform a simulated forced landing. Because the airplane was far from the runway and 200 feet above the ground, the instructor told the pilot to go around. The student advanced the throttle, but the engine did not respond. The instructor took control of the airplane, turned 40 degrees to the right, lowered the landing gear, and made an off-airport landing on a rough dirt field. The left wing struck a large bush and was substantially damaged, and the airplane spun around 90 degrees to the left and slid sideways for about 65 feet. After evacuating the airplane, the instructor returned to turn off the electronics and noticed that the fuel selector was in the OFF position.
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
- Simulated/training event during approach
- Fuel starvation during approach defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring other person › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel selector/shutoff valve › Incorrect use/operation
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,683 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 1,364 as pilot in command; 1,319 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 4, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 375 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 305 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 13, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Crew member
No details recorded.
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,461 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 18, 2013; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-B5F (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: I.B. Development, LLC
The flight
- Departed from: E01 Monahans TX at 11:10 pm
- Destination: KFST Fort Stockton TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 7,508 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 150° at 18 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from KFST, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on April 25, 2013. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NTSB Forn 6120.1-2, Pilot-operator Aircraft Accident Report | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Weather Reports and Records | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo 1 - N888TT at the Accident Site | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo 2 - the Power Quadrant | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photo 3 - the Fuel Selector | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.