Beech V35 accident near Del Rio, Texas, September 21, 2002
On September 21, 2002 at about 9:55 pm local time, a Beech V35, registered N9486S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Del Rio, Texas (Del Rio International airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power due to the low-pressure pump separating internally. Contributing factors were the deterioration of the fuel pump and the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 21, 2002 · about 9:55 pm local time
- Place
- Del Rio, Texas · Del Rio International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech V35 · all V35s on the register
- Registration
- N9486S · no longer on the register · serial D-8181
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, after taking off, just as the gear had cycled up, about 100 feet AGL, the "engine quit completely." He switched fuel tanks and turned on the boost pump, but it had no effect. He selected a field to land in and extended the landing gear and flaps. Examination of the airplane revealed that the low-pressure pump was deteriorated and came-apart internally. The pins that hold the fuel pump vanes in place in the drive wheel were broken and a quarter-inch piece of the tiny metal shafts flowed towards the engine and wedged in the mechanical engine-driven fuel pump vanes shearing the shaft at the "fail point."
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; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 758 hours in all; 550 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 658 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 26, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,539.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 9, 2002; 20.4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DRT Del Rio TX at 9:55 pm
- Destination: LRU Las Cruces AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.80 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from DRT, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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.