Beech 35 accident near Desert Center, California, February 24, 2000
On February 24, 2000 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Beech 35, registered N5127C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Desert Center, California. 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 pilot's inadequate fuel management, his inaccurate fuel consumption calculations, and his improper use of the fuel selector.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 24, 2000 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Desert Center, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 35 · all 35s on the register
- Registration
- N5127C · registry record · serial D2412
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed Wickenberg, Arizona, for a flight to Lompoc, California. The pilot said he planned on an intermediate stop near Twentynine Palms, California, to purchase fuel. According to the pilot, he had topped the airplane off with an estimated 35 gallons of fuel prior to the flight. He took off on the left fuel tank and then switched to the right tank. He said he remembered looking at the right fuel tank and saw it was bouncing from 1/4 tank to nearly empty. He said he was about 40 miles east of his intended intermediate destination when the engine suddenly quit. He switched tanks back to the left tank and attempted to restart the engine, without success. He told investigators that he noticed the right tank going dry fast but elected to continue the flight. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the right tank had about 3 ounces of fuel in it and the left tank was nearly full. The engine was run after the accident with no abnormalities noted.
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: 110 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,481 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 1999; 23 hours since
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E225 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: E25 Wickenberg AZ at 8:25 pm
- Destination: TNP 29 Palms CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 18 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from KBY, 32 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.