N654HR

On December 11, 2021, about 1455 Pacific standard time, a Beech K35 airplane, N654HR, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Temecula, California. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot reported that about 8 minutes after takeoff, while at a cruise altitude of about 3,100 ft mean sea level, the engine started to run rough and lose power. He activated the fuel pump and switched from the left fuel tank to the right fuel tank but that did not resolve the issue. The engine continued to lose power until it was not producing any power.

The pilot maneuvered the airplane to land on a golf course fairway but had to abort the approach due to individuals on the fairway. Subsequently, the pilot elected to make a forced landing in a nearby grape vineyard. He intentionally kept the landing gear retracted to minimize any entanglement with the wire that was used to support growing the grape vines. During the landing sequence, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and wings when it struck posts that supported the wire.

Before an airframe and engine examination could be accomplished, the airplane wreckage was inadvertently sold. Therefore, the reason for the loss of engine power was undetermined.