Beech K35 accident near Gulfport, Mississippi, February 18, 1999
On February 18, 1999 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Beech K35, registered N15FF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gulfport, Mississippi. 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 instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power due to fuel starvation caused by an obstruction in the fuel vent system while maneuvering in IMC conditions, and the subsequent ditching into the Gulf of Mexico.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 18, 1999 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Gulfport, Mississippi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech K35 · all K35s on the register
- Registration
- N15FF · registry record · serial 6045
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, he was indicating half full on his left main fuel tank, being vectored in IMC conditions by FAA Gulfport (Mississippi) Approach Control radar for an instrument landing, when he lost engine power. He thought that he had a least 12 to 15 gallons of fuel remaining. He could not regain engine power and ditched the airplane in the Gulf of Mexico. When the airplane was recovered 6 days later from the 6 to 8 feet depth water, about 12.5 to 13 gallons of uncontaminated blue colored 100LL aviation fuel remained in the left main fuel tank. Subsequent examination of the fuel system by FAA inspectors revealed a clogged left wing fuel vent system.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,492 hours in all; 2,745 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,275 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 28, 1998; 150 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: X51 Homestead FL at 2:22 pm
- Destination: GPT MS
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 900 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from GPT, 6 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.