Beech K35 accident near Torreon, New Mexico, March 18, 1983
On March 18, 1983 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Beech K35, registered N5395E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Torreon, New Mexico. 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 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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 18, 1983 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Torreon, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech K35 · all K35s on the register
- Registration
- N5395E · no longer on the register · serial D-5908
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT, WHO WAS NOT CERTIFICATED, STATED THAT PRIOR TO DEPARTURE HE RECEIVED A WX BRIEFING BY TELEPHONE FROM THE FSS. ENROUTE, AFTER MAKING SEVERAL HEADING CHANGES TO AVOID WX HE FOUND HIMSELF SURROUNDED BY LOW CEILING AND PRECIPITATION. HE DECIDED TO MAKE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING ON A PAVED ROAD. ON THE FINAL TURN, THE ENGINE QUIT DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION. THE PILOT HAD SWITCHED TO HIS AUXILIARY TANK JUST PRIOR TO DECIDING TO LAND AND NEGLECTED TO SWITCH BACK TO THE MAIN TANKS.
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
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 500 hours in all; 450 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,629 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 10, 1982; 76 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4AC Albuquerque NM at 4:00 pm
- Destination: FMN Farmington NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from ABQ, 60 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.