Beech J-35 accident near Lovelock, Nevada, July 23, 1996
On July 23, 1996, a Beech J-35, registered N8399J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lovelock, Nevada. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
fuel starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 23, 1996
- Place
- Lovelock, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech J-35 · all J-35s on the register
- Registration
- N8399J · no longer on the register · serial D-5520
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot performed 8 or 9 touch-and-go landings, and after liftoff, at approximately 200 feet agl, the engine lost power and quit. On previous takeoffs, at approximately 300 plus feet agl, he would switch from the main fuel tank to the auxiliary tanks, fly out about 5 miles and return. During the downwind leg of the pattern he would switch from the auxiliary tanks back to the left main tank for the touch-and-go landing. He stated that he thought that he may have lost fuel flow when the engine quit; however, he did not visually check the fuel pressure gauge. Postaccident examination of the fuel distributor valve, fuel pump vapor return line, and the fuel pump outlet line revealed that they were dry. He reported that he had been airborne for approximately 1.5 hours.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,200 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 5,016 as pilot in command; 668 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,544 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 10, 1995; 57 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KLOL Lovelock NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 100°F (38°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:00 pm from KLO, 1 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.