Beech 35-C33 accident near Coventry, Rhode Island, November 11, 1994
On November 11, 1994 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Beech 35-C33, registered N5869S, was destroyed in an accident near Coventry, Rhode Island (Riconn airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
improper emergency procedures by the pilot and inadequate supervision by the flight instructor which resulted in their failure to restart the engine after it lost power due to a failed engine driven fuel pump.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 11, 1994 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Coventry, Rhode Island · Riconn
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 35-C33 · all 35-C33s on the register
- Registration
- N5869S · no longer on the register · serial CD-831
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ENGINE LOST POWER WHEN THE INSTRUMENT STUDENT (PRIVATE) PILOT ATTEMPTED TO LEVEL THE AIRPLANE AT 3000 FEET MSL AFTER A DESCENT. THE FLT INSTRUCTOR TOOK CONTROL AND SET UP FOR A FORCED LANDING WHILE THE STUDENT PILOT ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE ENGINE. THE AIRPLANE CAME TO REST IN TREES APPROX 1/4 OF A MILE FROM A PRIVATE ARPT. THE STUDENT HAD 250 HOURS OF TOTAL FLIGHT TIME, INCLUDING 77 HOURS IN TYPE. THE AIRPLANE WAS FOUND WITH THE ELECTRIC FUEL BOOST PUMP SWITCHED OFF AND THE STUDENT DID NOT MENTION IT WHEN INTERVIEWED ABOUT HIS EMERGENCY PROCEDURES. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED THE ENGINE WOULD RUN WITH THE ELECTRIC FUEL BOOST PUMP ON, BUT WOULD NOT RUN USING THE ENGINE DRIVEN FUEL PUMP ONLY. THE ENGINE DRIVEN FUEL PUMP DRIVE SHAFT HAD FAILED AND THE BEARINGS WERE FROZEN. SMALL PARTICLES OF ALUMINUM WERE FOUND IN THE BEARINGS. THE PUMP HAD BEEN REMOVED FROM THE AIRPLANE, SHIPPED TO AN OVERHAUL FACILITY, AND RETURNED FOR INSTALLATION 52.3 HOURS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. THE SOURCE OF THE PARTICLES WAS NOT 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
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,900 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 125 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 6,700 as pilot in command; 2,900 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,789 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 25, 1994; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,050 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DXR Danbury CT at 5:50 pm
- Destination: PVD Providence RI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:00 pm from PVD, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.