Piston Beechcraft Accidents December 11 – December 17, 2025
Official information from FAA and NTSB sources (unless otherwise noted). Editorial comments (contained in parentheses), year-to-date summary and closing comments are those of the author. All information is preliminary and subject to change. Comments are meant solely to enhance flying safety. Please use these reports to help you more accurately evaluate the potential risks when you make your own decisions about how and when to fly.
©2025 Mastery Flight Training, Inc. All Rights Reserved
“Beechcraft” is a registered trademark of Textron Aviation, Inc.
THE WEEKLY ACCIDENT UPDATE IS AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCT OF MASTERY FLIGHT TRAINING, INC.
Pursue Mastery of Flight
New Reports this Week
10/12 2230Z (1530 local Sunday afternoon): A Be35 pilot was “conducting touch and goes” when the “pilot inadvertently raised the landing gear instead of the flaps,” at Olympia, Washington. The three aboard escaped injury despite “substantial” airplane damage. N35S (D-7481) is a 1964 S35.
(“Inadvertent gear retraction on the ground/touch and go”; “Substantial damage”—this appears to be a “holdover” report from the October U.S. government shutdown, or a newly reported event when the resulting damage was found to meet “substantial” damage criteria).
12/12 2320Z (1920 local Friday night): A Be58 “landed gear up due top electrical failure” during a night flight at Kissimmee Airport near Orlando, Florida. The two aboard the Baron were unhurt; airplane damage is “unknown.” N231WM (TH-571) is a 1975 Baron 58.
(“Gear up landing/electrical failure”; “Night”—this vintage of Baron has redundant alternators but both are managed by a single regulator at a time. There are two regulators and a switch beneath the pilot’s yoke to manually select which regulator is in use. The Pilot’s Operating Handbook emergency checklist for illumination of one or both Alternator Out lights is to switch to the other regulator. If normal operation is not restored the checklist calls for turning both alternators off and managing electrical load for a landing on battery power alone. Unlike other airplanes—including most airplanes in which we train—an alternator cannot be reset by turning the alternator switch off and back on.
Some instructors (myself included) teach to switch regulators every few flights to have assurance both are probably still working should the regulator in use fail.
The nature of the electrical failure reported by the pilot, whether some other issue prevented manual landing gear extension, or if the pilot even attempted to manually extend the landing gear are not reported…nor will they likely be made public as this mishap does not appear to meet the reporting requirements of NTSB 830. Still, it’s another good reminder of the impact of type- and even serial number-specific systems design and the implications differences have for normal, abnormal and emergency operation).
12/15 1849Z (1049 local Monday morning): A Be36 “experienced engine issues and crashed in a field” at Tracy, California. The solo pilot suffered “minor” injuries and the Bonanza has “unknown” damage. N360FV (E-4035) is a 2014 G36.
(“Engine failure in flight”; “Substantial damage”; “IMC”—the Aviation Safety Network adds more details:
A Beechcraft G36, N360FV, sustained substantial damage when it crashed into a ditch during an attempted emergency landing after suffering an engine failure in Tracy, California. The sole pilot sustained minor injuries.
Weather:
METAR KTCY 152255Z AUTO 00000KT 3SM BR OVC006 07/07 A3027 RMK A01
METAR KTCY 152315Z AUTO 00000KT 3SM BR OVC006 07/07 A3027 RMK A01
METAR KTCY 152335Z AUTO 00000KT 3SM BR OVC006 07/07 A3026 RMK A01
The Flightaware track shows the Bonanza departed Palo Alto, California northeastbound, climbing consistent with a planned flight over the Sierra Nevada Mountains, when the engine failure occurred and the pilot steered back toward lower ground).
NTSB Preliminary Reports
There are no newly posted piston Beech NTSB reports this week.
2025 SUMMARY
Reported Beechcraft piston mishaps, 2025
Total reported: 135 reports
Environment
Operation in VMC: 75 reports
Operation in IMC: 6 reports
Weather “unknown” or “not reported”: 56 reports
Operation at night: 7 reports
Most Serious Injury
“Serious” injury accidents (not involving fatalities): 6 reports
Fatal accidents: 17 reports
Aircraft damage
“Substantial” damage: 26 reports
Aircraft “destroyed”: 27 reports
BONANZA/BARON Series: 119 reports
By Aircraft Type
Be35 Bonanza 38 reports
Be36 Bonanza 34 reports
Be55 Baron 19 reports
Be33 Debonair/Bonanza 12 reports
Be58 Baron 11 reports
Be95 Travel Air 5 reports
Environment
Operation in VMC: 61 reports
Operation in IMC: 6 reports
Weather “unknown” or “not reported”: 50 reports
Operation at night: 6 reports
Most Serious Injury
“Serious” injury accidents (not involving fatalities): 6 reports
Fatal accidents: 17 reports
Aircraft damage
“Substantial” damage: 21 reports
Aircraft “destroyed”: 27 reports
PRELIMINARY DETERMINATION OF CAUSE
(all subject to update per official findings):
FATAL and SERIOUS INJURY EVENTS 23 reports
Engine failure 10 reports
Engine failure in flight/oil loss 2 reports (both Be36s)
Engine failure in flight 1 report (Be35)
Engine failure immediately after takeoff 1 report (Be36)
Engine failure shortly after takeoff/LOC 1 report (Be35)
Fuel starvation 1 report (Be55)
Partial power loss/off-airport landing 1 report (Be36)
Engine failure during visual approach 1 report (Be36)
Engine failure in flight/loss of control during descent 1 report (Be58)
Partial power loss shortly after takeoff/attempted return 1 report (Be33)
Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT) 4 reports
Controlled flight into terrain/mountains 3 reports (all Be35s)
Controlled Flight into Terrain/thunderstorms 1 report (Be58)
Loss of control in flight 3 reports
Loss of control in flight 1 report (Be58)
Loss of control departing in reported heavy precipitation 1 report (Be35)
Loss of control during visual descent 1 report (Be58)
Impact during/immediately after takeoff 2 reports
Loss of control/IFR departure 1 report (Be36)
Loss of control in flight/door open after takeoff 1 report (Be55)
Impact during landing 1 report
Loss of directional control/visual landing 1 report (Be55)
Unknown 3 reports
Crash/unknown 1 reports (Be33)
Go-around/unknown 1 report (Be35s)
Takeoff/unknown 1 report (Be35)
OTHER EVENTS 94 reports
Landing gear related mishaps 43 reports
Gear up landing 17 reports (six Be35s; Be33; five Be36s; two Be55s; Be58; two Be95s)
Gear collapse during landing 15 reports (Be33; two Be35s; two Be36s; three Be55s; two Be58s; Be95)
Gear up landing/mechanical failure 2 reports (Be36; Be95)
Gear up landing/electrical failure 2 reports (Be55; Be58)
Inadvertent gear retraction on the ground/touch and go 2 reports (both Be35s)
Nose wheel separation during landing 1 report (Be33)
Gear collapse during takeoff 1 report (Be55)
Gear collapse during landing/alternator failure 1 report (Be35)
Inadvertent gear retraction during landing 1 report (Be35)
Gear collapse during taxi from soft ground onto pavement 1 report (Be36)
Engine failure 25 reports
Engine failure in flight 11 reports (three Be33s; six Be35s; two Be36s)
Engine failure during/immediately after takeoff 5 reports (two Be33s; two Be36s; Be55)
Engine failure shortly after takeoff/catastrophic failure 1 report (Be36)
Partial power loss immediately after takeoff
Dual partial power loss/off-airport landing 1 report (Be58)
Dual engine failure immediately after takeoff/Fuel exhaustion 1 report (Be55)
Engine failure in flight/oil loss 1 report (Be36)
Propeller separation in flight 1 report (Be55)
Engine failure during landing 1 report (Be36)
Engine failure during approach/landing 1 report (Be35)
Engine fire during takeoff/abort/gear up landing 1 report (Be36)
Impact during landing 10 reports
Landed short 2 reports (both Be36s)
Landing/unknown 2 reports (Be35; Be36)
Runway overrun 1 report (Be58)
Loss of directional control during landing 1 report (Be95)
Propeller strike during landing 1 report (Be55)
Go-around/collision with obstruction 1 report (Be35)
Loss of directional control during the landing roll after open door in flight 1 report (Be33)
Loss of directional control during landing/tire separation 1 report (Be55)
Impact during takeoff 6 reports
Aborted takeoff/runway overrun 1 report (Be55)
Rejected takeoff/runway excursion 1 report (Be55)
Loss of directional control during takeoff 1 report (Be33)
Loss of directional control during takeoff/contaminated runway 1 report (Be35)
Collision with obstacles during takeoff 1 report (Be35)
Collision with obstacles/trees at the end of the runway 1 report (Be36)
Miscellaneous
Exit window detached in flight 3 reports (Be35; Be36; Be58)
Taxi into aircraft/object 2 reports (both Be36s)
Bird strike 2 reports (Be35; Be55)
Door open after takeoff/descent into terrain 1 report (Be36)
Taxi into object/other aircraft 1 report (Be36)
Takeoff with tow bar attached 1 report (Be35)
Struck by taxiing aircraft while parked 1 report (Be35)
BEECH AERO CLUB Series: 18 reports
By Aircraft Type
Be23 Musketeer/Sundowner 5 reports
Be19 Sport 4 reports
Be24 Sierra 4 reports
Be76 Duchess 4 reports
Be77 Skipper 1 report
Environment
Operation in VMC: 12 reports
Operation in IMC: 0 reports
Weather “unknown” or “not reported”: 6 reports
Operation at night: 0 reports
Most Serious Injury
“Serious” injury accidents (not involving fatalities): 0 reports
Fatal accidents: 0 reports
Aircraft damage
“Substantial” damage: 5 reports
Aircraft “destroyed”: 0 reports
PRELIMINARY DETERMINATION OF CAUSE
(all subject to update per official findings):
FATAL and SERIOUS INJURY EVENTS 0 reports
OTHER EVENTS 18 reports
Impact during landing 8 reports
Loss of directional control during landing 4 reports (two Be19s; Be24; Be77)
Hard landing 2 reports (Be19; Be76)
Loss of directional control during the landing roll after open door in flight 1 report (Be23)
Landing/unknown 1 report (Be23)
Engine failure 3 reports
Engine failure during/immediately after takeoff 2 reports (Be19; Be24)
Engine failure in flight 1 report (Be24)
Landing gear related mishaps 3 reports
Gear up landing 2 reports (Be24; Be76)
Gear collapse during landing 1 report (Be76)
Impact during takeoff
Loss of directional control during takeoff 1 report (Be23)
Miscellaneous/Unknown cause
Bird strike 1 report (Be76)
Taxied into object/obstruction 1 report (Be23)
Off-airport landing/reasons unknown 1 report (Be23)
MISCELLANEOUS Models: 1 report
Be45 Mentor/T-34 1 reports
Environment
Operation in VMC: 1 report
Operation in IMC: 0 reports
Weather “unknown” or “not reported”: 0 reports
Operation at night: 0 reports
Most Serious Injury
“Serious” injury accidents (not involving fatalities): 0 reports
Fatal accidents: 0 reports
Aircraft damage
“Substantial” damage: 0 reports
Aircraft “destroyed”: 0 reports
PRELIMINARY DETERMINATION OF CAUSE
(all subject to update per official findings):
FATAL and SERIOUS INJURY EVENTS 0 reports
OTHER EVENTS 1 report
Landing gear related mishaps
Gear up landing 1 report (Be45)
Recognize an N-number? Please accept my sincere personal condolences if you or anyone you know was involved in a mishap. I welcome your comments, suggestions and criticisms.
Pursue Mastery of Flight
Recognize an N-number? Want to check on friends or family that may have been involved in a cited mishap? Click here to find the registered owner. Please accept my sincere personal condolences if you or anyone you know was involved in a mishap. I welcome your comments, suggestions and criticisms.