Beech N35 accident near Weirsdale, Florida, August 12, 2015
On August 12, 2015 at about 1:30 pm local time, a 1961 Beech N35, registered N390Z, was destroyed in an accident during takeoff near Weirsdale, Florida (Love'S Landing airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A partial loss of engine power during takeoff. The reason for the partial loss of power could not be determined due to the extensive fire and impact damage to the engine.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 12, 2015 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Weirsdale, Florida · Love'S Landing · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech N35, built 1961 · all N35s on the register
- Registration
- N390Z · no longer on the register · serial D-6762
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport pilot was departing in his airplane on a personal flight. A witness, who was a pilot and had seen the airplane take off many times before, reported that, on this takeoff, the airplane appeared lower and slower than he expected. He further noted that the engine initially sounded normal but then started to "stall" as if a cylinder was "missing." The airplane impacted tress about 1,000 ft past the end of the runway and was partially consumed by a postcrash fire. Damage to the propeller blades was indicative of some engine power being produced at the time of impact. Examination of the engine's throttle body metering unit revealed that the mixture control arm remained attached to the unit; however, when turned, it rotated on the shaft with no shaft movement. Disassembly of the unit revealed the internal splines of the throttle and mixture arms were stripped, and brass material from the bronze arms was transferred to the external splines of the steel shafts. The bronze arms should have been replaced with stainless steel arms per a service bulletin issued by the engine manufacturer 8 years before the accident. Because of impact and fire damage to the metering unit; it could not be determined if the stripped arms were the result of impact or an undertorque condition.
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 (partial) during takeoff defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during initial climb
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › (general) › Inoperative
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,545 hours in all; 9,891 as pilot in command; 4,491 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 19, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,663 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 15, 2015; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,128 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental Motors IO-470-N (piston); 6,669 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 97FL Weirsdale FL at 1:30 pm
- Destination: FMY Fort Myers FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 36, 3,700 ft by 125 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from LEE, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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 ERA15FA308.