Beech C23 accident near Delano, California, May 14, 2016
On May 14, 2016 at about 6:00 pm local time, a 1980 Beech C23, registered N3724Y, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Delano, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s inadequate preflight and inflight fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 14, 2016 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Delano, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech C23 NO SERIES, built 1980 · all C23s on the register
- Registration
- N3724Y · no longer on the register · serial M-2279
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was on a multi-leg, solo, cross-country flight. He stated that, while in cruise on the last leg of the flight, the engine began to sputter, so he switched the fuel selector from the right tank position to the left tank position. Shortly after switching fuel tanks, the engine experienced a total loss of power and the student performed a forced landing to an orange orchard. First responders reported that there was no fuel leaking from the airplane, and no fuel was observed in the airplane's fuel tanks. The student stated that, before the flight, he had filled the fuel tanks to the filler tabs, which equated to 37.4 total gallons of useable fuel. Review of performance information for the airplane revealed that the airplane would have used about 35.4 gallons of fuel at the time of the accident. However, variations in wind or engine power settings may have resulted in a higher fuel consumption on the accident flight. In a subsequent interview, the student pilot stated that he had exhausted the fuel in the right tank and could not restart the engine before the forced landing.
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
What happened, in order
- Fuel starvation during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Student/instructed pilot
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 61 hours in all; 61 in this make and model; 20 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,725 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2015
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 SER (piston); 3,779 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PTV Porterville CA
- Destination: MIT Shafter CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 7 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from KBFL, 19 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on March 30, 2017. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Conversation (Pilot) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Fuel Performance Calculation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.