Beech V35B accident near Pawhuska, Oklahoma, January 9, 1989
On January 9, 1989 at about 11:10 pm local time, a Beech V35B, registered N4521S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pawhuska, Oklahoma (Pawhuska, Ok 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
FUEL TANK SELECTOR VALVE BEING INADVERTENTLY SWITCHED OFF AND THE PILOT'S EMERGENCY PROCEDURES INADEQUATE IN DISCOVERINGAND CORRECTING THE PROBLEM. THIS RESULTED IN THE FUEL STARVATION RELATED POWER LOSS. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE ROUGH TERRAIN ON WHICH THE FORCED LANDING WAS PERFORMED AND THE FENCE WHICH WAS CONTACTED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 9, 1989 · about 11:10 pm local time
- Place
- Pawhuska, Oklahoma · Pawhuska, Ok · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech V35B · all V35Bs on the register
- Registration
- N4521S · no longer on the register · serial D9459
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A LOSS OF POWER OCCURRED AT 5,500 FEET WHEN THE CABIN DOOR POPPED OPEN AND THE PILOT SLID FROM THE LEFT SEAT TO THE RIGHT SEAT TO CLOSE IT. WHEN THE THROTTLE WAS ADVANCED THERE WAS NO RESPONSE. THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS FOUND POSITIONED BETWEEN TANKS, EFFECTIVELY SHUTTING OFF THE FUEL SUPPLY TO THE ENGINE. THE AIRPLANE WAS DAMAGED WHEN IT COLLIDED WITH A FENCE DURING THE FORCED LANDING.
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: 565 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 47 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 533 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,626 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 30, 1988; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BA (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Stillwater Flight Center, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: SWO Stillwater OK at 11:00 pm
- Destination: STL St. Louis MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 160° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:54 pm from BVO, 21 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.