Beech BE-35 accident near Mokane, Missouri, December 24, 1999
On December 24, 1999 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Beech BE-35, registered N2012D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mokane, Missouri. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
fuel starvation due to the pilot's failure to make accurate fuel consumption calculations and the pilot's improper emergency procedures for engine re-start. A factor was the ditch.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 24, 1999 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mokane, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech BE-35
- Registration
- N2012D · no longer on the register · serial D3362
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that after the engine quit he scanned the gauges. The left fuel tank indicated 1/4 tank of fuel. The pilot reported that the left fuel tank was selected, but he did not change the fuel selector to the right fuel tank when he tried to perform an engine re-start. The pilot executed a forced landing in a field, but the landing gear collapsed after it 'bounced over a little drainage ditch' during landing rollout. The pilot inspected the left wing tank for fuel. He reported he, 'couldn't see gas in the tank,' and that the left tank was 'pretty empty.' He checked the right tank and estimated there was 3 to 4 gallons of fuel in the right tank. The right fuel gauge indicated 1/4 tank. The pilot reported he had fueled the airplane with approximately one hour of fuel in each tank, and he had flown for approximately one hour when the engine quit. The airplane's flight manual lists '(1) Select other fuel tank (check to feel detent)' as a step in the emergency procedures for loss of engine power.
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
- Certificate: student
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 180 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 149 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,850 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 11, 1999; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,700 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-225 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4MO Montgomery City MO at 9:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from JEF, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.