Beech M35 accident near Iowa Park, Texas, March 30, 1997
On March 30, 1997 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Beech M35, registered N223C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Iowa Park, Texas (Wichita Valley airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's refueling of the airplane with automotive grade fuel which resulted in engine failure due to detonation. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 30, 1997 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Iowa Park, Texas · Wichita Valley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech M35 · all M35s on the register
- Registration
- N223C · registry record · serial D-6287
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was on its initial takeoff climb when the engine lost power. The pilot performed a forced landing in a field, and during the landing roll, the airplane impacted a ditch. An engine teardown revealed that the number 1, 2, 5, and 6 pistons were cracked, and the number 3 and 4 pistons had separated from their piston pins and were lodged in the top of their respective cylinders. An analysis of the fuel found in the airplane established that it was automotive gasoline (octane grade 87 to 92). As listed in the limitations section of the Pilot's Operating Handbook, the minimum octane grade of fuel approved for use in the airplane was 100. The use of low-grade fuel can lead to detonation, which is defined in FAA Advisory Circular 61-23B as a sudden explosion or shock to a small area of the piston top.
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: 3,500 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,588 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 4, 1996; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: F14 at 9:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 315° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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 FTW97LA147.