Beech J-35 incident near Brighton, Colorado, November 18, 1990
On November 18, 1990 at about 10:55 pm local time, a Beech J-35, registered N8263D, suffered minor damage in an incident near Brighton, Colorado. It was a personal 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE ENGINE FUEL FEED LINE RESULTING IN A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER. CONTRIBUTING TO THE INCIDENT WAS IMPROPER INSTALLATION OF THE FUEL FEED TRANSDUCER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 18, 1990 · about 10:55 pm local time
- Place
- Brighton, Colorado · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech J-35 · all J-35s on the register
- Registration
- N8263D · registry record · serial 5387
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TEN MINUTES OF FLIGHT WHILE IN A CLIMB TO CRUISE, THE ENGINE FAILED TOTALLY AND AN EMERGENCY LANDING WAS MADE ON RISING ROUGH TERRAIN. THE PILOT WAS NOT INJURED AND THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE. INSPECTION REVEALED A FUEL FEED LINE FAILURE BETWEEN THE FUEL FEED TRANSDUCER AND FUEL MANIFOLD. INVESTIGATION REVEALED AN IMPROPER STC INSTALLATION.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 350 hours in all; 320 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 325 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,316 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 14, 1990; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-407C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.