Beechcraft V35 N272S

Summary

On 21 May 2023 at about 15:15 local time, a Beechcraft V35 registered N272S was involved in an accident near Rougemont, North Carolina, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 May 2023 at 15:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Rougemont, North Carolina, United States

Coordinates

36.2271, -79.0312

Aircraft

Beechcraft V35

Registration

N272S

Category

Airplane

Year built

1965

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Clemson → Montgomery

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA23FA238

1 person died.

A total loss of engine power due to oil starvation. The source of the oil starvation could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was on a long cross-country flight when the airplane’s engine lost power completely. The airplane subsequently impacted terrain in a group of pine trees; a postimpact fire ensued. The cockpit and engine sustained extensive thermal damage. Examination of the engine revealed that the crankcase was breached adjacent to the Nos. 3 and 4 cylinders. Disassembly of the engine revealed damage consistent with oil starvation. Due to the extent of the postimpact fire damage, the source of the oil starvation could not be identified. The maintenance records for the engine were presumed to be onboard the airplane and destroyed by fire. Postmortem toxicology testing by the FAA Forensic Sciences laboratory detected Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9-THC) and metabolites in the pilot’s heart blood and urine. Delta-9-THC is the primary psychoactive chemical in cannabis, including marijuana, hashish, and other cannabis products. Marijuana is a federal Schedule I controlled substance, and the FAA considers its use by pilots unacceptable, regardless of state laws. The postmortem concentrations of the marijuana metabolites indicate that the pilot had used a cannabis product and may have been experiencing associated impairing effects at the time of the accident. However, the precise timing of his last cannabis use, and whether significant impairment was present, could not be determined from the toxicological evidence alone.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.