Beech C35 accident near Pasadena, California, June 18, 2005
On June 18, 2005 at about 6:10 am local time, a Beech C35, registered N5813C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pasadena, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a fuel starvation induced loss of engine power due a failure of the electric fuel pump. A factor in the accident was the dark night lighting conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 18, 2005 · about 6:10 am local time
- Place
- Pasadena, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech C35 · all C35s on the register
- Registration
- N5813C · no longer on the register · serial D-2765
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane collided with an automobile during a forced landing on a freeway following a loss of engine power during a night cross-country flight. The student pilot had just purchased the airplane and she and the flight instructor were bringing it back to the student pilot's home airport. The airplane was in a cruise descent when the engine started to lose power. The student pilot turned on the electric fuel pump, but it had no effect. She transferred control of the airplane to the flight instructor, and began to operate the hand pump. The engine speed increased as she pumped, but fell off when she stopped. The instructor had her switch to all of the fuel tanks but this had no effect on resolving the problem. The engine only produced power while she operated the hand pump, and the engine only operated at a low rpm. The airplane had lost altitude, and was down to about 1,000 to 2,000 feet over a freeway. She couldn't keep pumping the hand pump due to physical fatigue. They decided to land on the freeway and turned on to final about 300 to 400 feet. About 10 to 15 feet agl, they flashed the landing light to warn drivers on the freeway. Within 2 to 3 feet of landing, she noticed a car to the left of the airplane. The left wing hit the bottom part of the car, and the airplane cartwheeled to inverted. After exiting the airplane, she noted that fuel was leaking from both wings. The student pilot stated that she used the electric fuel pump as a primer to start to start the airplane at the last fuel stop and the fuel pressure went to 9 psi. The fuel pump was not used again until the accident. According to first responders, an 8-foot-diameter puddle of fuel was under the airplane. No preimpact anomalies were found during an examination of the engine that would have precluded normal operation. The engine driven fuel pump functioned when operated by an electric drill. The electric fuel boost pump did not rotate. Examination of the pump found that the roll pin inside the pump had sheared into two pieces, and one piece had lodged in the vanes, which prevented them from rotating. The technician that disassembled the pump remarked that this usually occurred when the pump had been run while dry. The underlying reason for the apparent failure of the engine driven pump and other fuel system components to allow sufficient fuel to the carburetor could not be determined.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,787 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 64 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 2,535 as pilot in command; 893 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 129 hours in all; 5 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,700 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-185-11 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KRBL Red Bluff CA at 2:30 am
- Destination: KFUL Fullerton CA
- Flight plan: VFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,900 ft; clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 am from KFUL, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.