After reviewing the 100 most recent Model 35 accidents, we couldn’t help but wonder about the demographics of the owners. The majority of the events fell into the “other” category and generally reflected lousy judgment on the part of the pilot, especially when the 17 fuel-related accidents are added to the pot. On top of that, 10 of the fatally injured pilots had been taking FAA-proscribed medications that may have impaired their ability to fly an airplane.
Fifteen of the 17 fuel-related accidents involved running a tank dry and not getting a restart—most of the time the pilot didn’t even follow the restart checklist. The other two pilots tried to fly further than the available fuel aboard would allow.