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Accidents · NTSB ERA23LA151 · Final report

Beech 35-B33 accident near Scottsmoor, Florida, March 14, 2023

On March 14, 2023 at about 2:06 pm local time, a 1964 Beech 35-B33, registered N5714K, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Scottsmoor, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The pilot’s inadequate preflight fuel planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
March 14, 2023 · about 2:06 pm local time
Place
Scottsmoor, Florida · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
1 person was seriously injured.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Beech 35-B33, built 1964 · all 35-B33s on the register
Registration
N5714K · registry record · serial CD-784
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The pilot was flying to an airport that was about 33 nautical miles away from the departure airport, and after takeoff climbed to an altitude of 2,000 ft before descending to 1,500 ft. About 8 minutes into the flight the airplane’s engine "coughed and stopped running." In response, the pilot switched the fuel selector to the other tank, turned on the boost pump and wingtip fuel tank pumps, and attempted to restart the engine, but was unsuccessful. He then returned the fuel selector back to the original tank and made another attempt to restart the engine, but that effort was similarly unsuccessful. The pilot then selected a field and performed a forced landing. During the landing the airplane struck a tree, seriously injuring the pilot and substantially damaging the fuselage and left wing. A Federal Aviation Administration Inspector examined the airplane at the accident site and reported that he found the fuel selector on the right tank position and that both the right main and wingtip fuel tanks were empty. He found a small amount of fuel in the left main fuel tank (later determined to be about 2 gallons) and no fuel in the left wingtip fuel tank. The inspector otherwise found no evidence of fuel leakage at the accident site. A post recovery examination of the wreckage also found that there was no fuel in the fuel pump or fuel injector lines. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane, and in a postaccident telephone interview stated that the airplane, "…just didn’t have enough fuel."

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

  1. Fuel exhaustion during enroute (cruise) defining event
  2. Off-field or emergency landing during enroute (descent)

The NTSB's findings

  • Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
  • Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot

Pilot

  • Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
  • Flight time: 21,764 hours in all; 605 in this make and model
  • Last flight review: July 8, 2022
  • Medical certificate: BasicMed (without waivers/limitations)
  • Seat: left
  • Injury: serious injuries

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 6,070 hours
  • Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 14, 2022
  • Maximum gross weight: 3,650 lb
  • Seats: 4
  • Landing gear: retractable
  • Engine: Continental IO-470 (piston); 2,576 hours total
  • Operator: Honour Aviation LLC

The flight

  • Departed from: TIX Titusville FL at 2:00 pm
  • Destination: EVB New Smyrna Beach FL
  • Flight plan: none

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 350° at 7 knots
  • Visibility: 7 statute miles
  • Sky: a few clouds at 10,000 ft
  • Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
  • Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
  • Observation at 9:47 am from KTIX, 3 miles away

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew1

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

6 documents, released by the NTSB on June 23, 2023. 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.

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.