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CEN16CA364

2016-08-30 · Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport FSD

Current FAA registration · N23583

Make / Model
BEECH V35B
Year of manufacture
1978 · 38 years old at event
Seats / Engines
6 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19771123
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A21E9F

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to adequately manage the available fuel supply, resulting in fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power. Contributing to the accident was the inadequate preflight by the pilot and flight instructor, and the flight instructor's failure to monitor the fuel levels.

Factual narrative

While on final during a practice instrument approach, the engine lost total power. An attempted engine restart and switching of the fuel tanks was unsuccessful. The flight instructor took control of the airplane from the pilot receiving instruction, and executed a forced landing to a corn field. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings. The airplane was recovered from the field and about 1 cup of fuel was found in the right fuel tank, and the left wing fuel tank was about 3/4's full. The engine was functionally tested for about 10 minutes on the airframe with no anomalies noted. The pilot reported he did not check the wing fuel tanks during pre-flight and relied on the cockpit fuel gauges for fuel quantity. While on final during a practice instrument approach, the engine lost total power. An attempted engine restart and switching of the fuel tanks was unsuccessful. The flight instructor took control of the airplane from the pilot receiving instruction, and executed a forced landing to a corn field. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings. The airplane was recovered from the field and about 1 cup of fuel was found in the right fuel tank, and the left wing fuel tank was about 3/4's full. The engine was functionally tested for about 10 minutes on the airframe with no anomalies noted. The pilot reported he did not check the wing fuel tanks during pre-flight and relied on the cockpit fuel gauges for fuel quantity.  Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid management - C
  • C Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid level - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of equip/system-Pilot - C
  • F Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Fuel planning-Pilot - F
  • F Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Fuel planning-Instructor/check pilot - F

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2016_CEN16CA364.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (fuel starvation). All research papers