Beech K35 accident near Sylacauga, Alabama, July 16, 2025
On July 16, 2025 at about 7:02 pm local time, a 1959 Beech K35, registered N5353E, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Sylacauga, Alabama (Merkel Fld Sylacauga Muni airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 2025 · about 7:02 pm local time
- Place
- Sylacauga, Alabama · Merkel Fld Sylacauga Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech K35, built 1959 · all K35s on the register
- Registration
- N5353E · registry record · serial D-5856
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On July 16, 2025, at 1402 central standard time, a Beech K35, N5353E, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Sylacauga, Alabama. The private pilot sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, the airplane had a remanufactured engine installed about 30 hours prior to the accident. The remanufactured engine had experienced maintenance issues with the magnetos, spark plug fouling, and abnormal cylinder temperatures with the number four cylinder. Maintenance personnel replaced all of the spark plugs with new spark plugs and maintenance runups were conducted that showed no abnormal operation. After departing on the accident flight, about an hour into the flight, the pilot reported that the number one cylinder head temperature dropped below 300 degrees and was accompanied by a “high” exhaust gas temperature. The pilot contacted air traffic control and attempted to divert to Northeast Alabama Regional Airport (GAD), Gadsden, Alabama. The engine began to run rough and the pilot cycled the ignition switch with no change. The pilot declared an emergency, and he was given radar vectors to Merkel Field Sylacauga Municipal Airport (SCD), Sylacauga, Alabama. The airplane could not maintain altitude and he conducted a forced landing into wooded terrain about 1-mile west of SCD. The airplane came to rest inverted and both wings, the fuselage, and the empennage sustained substantial damage. The wreckage was recovered and retained for further examination.
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 enroute defining event
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
The flight
- Departed from: PNS Pensacola FL at 5:42 pm
- Destination: LEX Lexington KY
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 10 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 9,500 ft; scat at 4,200 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 1:55 pm from SCD, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KSCD 161855Z AUTO 10010G14KT 10SM SCT042 SCT065 OVC095 32/22 A3004 RMK AO2 T03180218=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check 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 ERA25LA269.