What happened
On October 23, 2025, a Beech 3・・33, registration N864R, was involved in an accident near Flippin, Arkansas. The flight was being operated under Part 91 as a personal flight.
The pilot had previously flown the aircraft from Dodge City, Kansas, to Marion County Regional Airport (FLP) two days prior. After refueling, the aircraft was left tied down under a fabric cover. Upon returning to the aircraft for a flight back to Dodge City, the pilot performed a preflight inspection and a routine engine runup check.
During the takeoff roll on runway 4, engine parameters remained normal. The aircraft achieved liftoff at approximately 1,000 feet down the runway at 68 knots. After establishing a positive rate of climb and retracting the landing gear, the pilot entered a climbing right turn. At approximately 150 feet above ground level, the aircraft suffered a total loss of engine power.
The pilot attempted to execute a left descending turn to reach the runway in the opposite direction, but the aircraft lacked sufficient altitude. The airplane impacted the ground and an unoccupied skid-steer bucket loader parked near the airport's perimeter fence. The pilot sustained one serious injury.
The investigation
Data recovered from the primary flight display (PFD) showed that engine power was selected approximately 31 seconds after takeoff. Following this, fuel flow decreased from 23.8 gallons per hour to 1.1 gallons per hour over a 10-second period, eventually dropping to 0.3 gallons per hour.
Witnesses at the scene reported hearing the engine backfire shortly after takeoff before the power loss occurred. One witness noted that upon reaching the wreckage, the fuel selector valve was found in the off position. Post-accident examination of the wreckage revealed that the fuel selector assembly was obscured by the left cockpit seat.
A mechanical examination of the fuel system found no blockages between the tanks and the engine fuel manifold valve. While some fuel line separations were found due to impact, there was no evidence of an existing fuel leak or contamination in the fuel strainer or finger screens. The auxiliary fuel pump and engine-driven fuel pump were found to be functional, and the fuel metering device showed no mechanical issues.