Beech K35 accident near Temecula, California, December 11, 2021
On December 11, 2021 at about 10:55 pm local time, a 1959 Beech K35, registered N654HR, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Temecula, California. 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 visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined from the available evidence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 11, 2021 · about 10:55 pm local time · cases in 2021
- Place
- Temecula, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech K35, built 1959 · all K35s on the register
- Registration
- N654HR · registry record · serial D-5840
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that about 8 minutes after takeoff, the airplane’s engine began running rough and lost power. The pilot initiated an emergency landing in a vineyard, and during the landing, the airplane sustained substantial damage when it struck posts. The airplane wreckage was inadvertently sold before an examination could be accomplished; therefore, the reason for the loss of engine power 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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (partial) during enroute
- Unknown or undetermined during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: airship
- Flight time: 232 hours in all; 127 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 165 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 3, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,509 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 24, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-N (piston); 6,509 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: F70 Murrieta CA at 2:25 pm
- Destination: HMT Hemet CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from KHMT, 17 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KHMT 112255Z AUTO 36007KT 10SM CLR 17/M08 A3009 RMK AO2 T01751079
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 June 8, 2023. 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 | Memorandum for Record | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for Record 2 | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N654HR on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Beechcraft K35 Bonanza 237 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Beechcraft 6 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental IO-470-N 12 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- French Valley Airport · departed from
- Hemet-Ryan Airport · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,097 in the last ten years
- California 27,727 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR22LA062.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.