Beech BE35 accident near Stillwater, Oklahoma, November 28, 1999
On November 28, 1999 at about 3:08 pm local time, a Beech BE35, registered N444D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Stillwater, Oklahoma. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The total loss of engine power due to the dry-rotted diaphragms in the pressure carburetor. A factor was the hilly terrain encountered during the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 28, 1999 · about 3:08 pm local time
- Place
- Stillwater, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech BE35
- Registration
- N444D · no longer on the register · serial D586
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the initial climb, while passing through 1,600 feet agl, and shortly after the pilot adjusted the engine power for cruise climb, the airplane's engine lost power. The pilot adjusted the throttle, mixture, and propeller controls, switched the fuel selector from the left fuel tank to the right fuel tank, and manually pumped the fuel boost pump. Engine power was not restored. During the ensuing forced landing, the airplane impacted hilly terrain. A test flow of the pressure carburetor revealed that it would not flow within its specified limits. Disassembly of the pressure carburetor revealed that a few of the diaphragms were dry rotted, hardened, and fuel was found in the air section of the discharge diaphragm. The manufacture dates stamped on the fuel and air diaphragms of the regulator section of the carburetor were October 1958 and November 1953 respectively. It could not be determined when the carburetor had last been overhauled.
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: 2,000 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 1,980 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,780 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 24, 1998; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-185-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SWO at 3:00 pm
- Destination: OK56 Blackwell OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from SWO, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Other NTSB records under N444D the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.