Beech 23 accident near Panama City, Florida, September 10, 2019
On September 10, 2019 at about 5:20 pm local time, a 1965 Beech 23, registered N3555R, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Panama City, Florida (Northwest Florida Beaches Intl 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
A total loss of engine power due to an obstructed fuel vent, and the flight instructor's failure to ensure that the student did an adequate preflight inspection, which resulted in a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 10, 2019 · about 5:20 pm local time
- Place
- Panama City, Florida · Northwest Florida Beaches Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 23 A23, built 1965 · all 23s on the register
- Registration
- N3555R · no longer on the register · serial M-729
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After returning from a roundtrip, cross-country flight, the student pilot and flight instructor were conducting airport pattern work, go-arounds, and touch-and-go landings. After a normal go-around due to excessive crosswinds, they initiated a no-flap landing for the next attempt. As the student pilot established the airplane on short final, he attempted to arrest the airplane’s descent by increasing engine power, but the engine did not respond. The instructor told the student pilot to “push it back in to add power,” and the student pilot pulled and pushed the throttle several times to try to increase engine power. After several unsuccessful attempts to increase engine power, the instructor took control of the airplane and attempted a forced landing. The airplane touched down short of the runway, bounced hard, and struck the landing lights before landing back on the runway. The airplane’s airframe sustained substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed an obstructed right trailing edge fuel vent line that likely blocked venting of the fuel tank and resulted a negative pressure within the tank, whichsubsequently starved the engine of fuel and resulted a total loss of engine power. The airplane's flight manual specified that during a preflight inspection, the fuel vent line should be checked for any obstructions, but the flight instructor did not witness the student pilot conduct the preflight inspection of the airplane. It is likely that the student pilot did not detect the blocked vent line during the preflight inspection; had more direct supervision been provided by the flight instructor during the preflight inspection, the blockage would have been discovered.
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
- Fuel starvation during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Debris/dirt/foreign object › Awareness of condition
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel distribution › Damaged/degraded
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel distribution › Inadequate inspection
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 36 hours in all; 6 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,150 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: June 1, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,023.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 2, 2019; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-346A (piston); 3,023 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ECP Panama City FL at 5:10 pm
- Destination: ECP Panama City FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 10,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from ECP, 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
6 documents, released by the NTSB on September 8, 2020. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Inspectors Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversation-flight Instructor | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Record of Conversation_mechanic | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photo Array_airplane Damage | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Airplane Flight Manual Excerpt_preflight Inspection | 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.