Beech H35 accident near Show Low, Arizona, May 16, 2000
On May 16, 2000 at about 4:45 am local time, a Beech H35, registered N5477D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Show Low, Arizona (Show Low Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to properly position the fuel selector to a tank with fuel resulting in fuel starvation, a loss of engine power, and subsequent collision with the ground during the final landing approach.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 16, 2000 · about 4:45 am local time
- Place
- Show Low, Arizona · Show Low Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech H35 · all H35s on the register
- Registration
- N5477D · no longer on the register · serial D5007
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While on short final the airplane drifted below the glide slope. The pilot advanced the throttle to find that the airplane had lost power. An attempt was made to restart the engine and the fuel tanks were switched, but the airplane was already at a low altitude. The airplane impacted the ground short of the runway. The auxiliary tanks were damaged from the impact and found dry, according to the recovery person. Friends of the pilot reportedly moved the wreckage and drained the fuel in the airplane before authorized inspection. Twenty-six gallons of fuel was removed from the left main. In a post crash examination, the engine tested successfully after an adjustment was made to a fuel line separation that had been damaged from impact. The pilot bought 35.5 gallons of fuel before the flight and by his own account filled the 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
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,380 hours in all; 36 in this make and model; 115 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 1,310 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 27, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,773 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 16, 1999; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520 BA2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FFZ Mesa AZ at 3:50 am
- Destination: SOW Show Low AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 7,200 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 180° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:10 am from SOW
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.
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.