Ownership guide
Beechcraft 35-B33
289 registered in the US, built from about 1961 to 1964, 4 seats, most with the Continental IO-470. Its Airworthiness Directives, its engines', and what to check before buying one.
The fleet
- Registered in the US
- 289
- Built
- 1961 to 1964
- Half built by
- 1963
- Seats
- 4
- Engine type
- Piston
- Most common engine
- Continental IO-470
Engines installed
- Continental IO-470273 aircraft (94%) · 20 ADs, 2 with a repeat action
From the FAA aircraft registry, rebuilt daily. Years are those recorded on each registration.
Airworthiness Directives
18 current ADs name the 35-B33 airframe, 1 with a repeat action; 1 more were superseded. Its engines carry 20 more. 13 equipment ADs name the model.
The ones that come back
ADs with a repeat action: an inspection or replacement at an interval, for as long as the AD applies. These are the airworthiness costs an owner keeps paying.
What gets reported
2 Service Difficulty Reports since 2016: a mechanic or operator files one when a part fails or is found defective.
Systems reported most
- Engine (Reciprocating)1
- Reciprocating Engine Oil System1
Parts reported most
- Case, cracked1
- Engine, failed1
The latest reports
2019-08-14 · Reciprocating Engine Oil System · Engine, failed
Lost oil pressure inflight - engine seized.
2016-07-23 · Engine (Reciprocating) · Case, cracked
Solo flight for private license, departed, 13 miles out thought he had a propeller fluctuate. climb to 4,000 ft in 3 miles going to destination. check everything and all looked normal. 8 miles out saw propeller fluctuate again, looked at oil pressure indicator and was reading zero. 1.5 miles, on approach around 400-700 ft got a fire ball, pop and engine stopped at 200 ft. glided into destinat
From the FAA's Service Difficulty Reporting System, refreshed monthly. Counts of what was reported, not failure rates: most of general aviation reports voluntarily, and a busy training fleet reports more than a private one.
Accident record
12 accidents since 2008, 2 fatal (3 people killed in them, a midair counting both aircraft), 2 aircraft destroyed.
What happened
- Loss of engine power (total)5
- Landing gear not configured2
- Collision with terrain or object (non-CFIT)1
- Fuel exhaustion1
- Loss of engine power (partial)1
- Fuel starvation1
Phase of flight
- Enroute3
- Initial climb3
- Approach3
- Landing2
The latest
| Date | Where | What happened | Injuries | NTSB number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-18 | Alton, IL | Landing: Landing gear not configured | None | CEN26LA261 |
| 2024-11-15 | Nunn, CO | Unknown: Collision with terrain or object (non-CFIT) | Fatal | CEN25FA040 |
| 2023-09-01 | Ava, MO | Enroute: Loss of engine power (total) | None | CEN23LA399 |
| 2023-03-14 | Scottsmoor, FL | Enroute: Fuel exhaustion | Serious | ERA23LA151 |
| 2021-09-11 | Baker, NV | Initial climb: Loss of engine power (total) | None | WPR21LA358 |
| 2014-10-11 | Effingham, IL | Landing: Landing gear not configured | None | CEN15CA011 |
From the NTSB's aviation accident database, refreshed monthly; accidents only, homebuilts left out. Counts, not rates: nobody publishes how many hours each model flies, and a training fleet flies far more than a private one. Look up any case by its number in the NTSB's CAROL.
What it costs to run
Per hour flown
Per year, flown or not
- Fuel
- $0/hr
- Engine reserve
- $0/hr
- A year
- $0
- All in, per hour
- $0/hr
Everything else is yours to fill in: insurance, hangar and overhaul prices vary too much by pilot, airport and shop for a default to mean anything. Nothing you type leaves this page.
Before you buy one
- Run its N-number through the AD check: every AD that names its airframe and engine, as a checklist to take to the logbooks.
- For each repeat-action AD (1 on the airframe), find the last compliance in the logbooks and when the next one is due.
- Compare the engine's time since overhaul with its maker's published overhaul time, and look for the reason behind any long gap in flying.
- Ask the mechanic doing the pre-buy to look hard at the engine (reciprocating) and for cracked cases: they are what gets reported most on this model.
- 13 equipment ADs name the 35-B33 (a muffler, a seat belt, a display): find out which of that equipment is installed.
- Check the registration, the airworthiness certificate and the date of the last annual inspection.
- Work out the sales or use tax your state will charge with the aircraft tax calculator.
Questions
- How many Beechcraft 35-B33s are registered in the US?
- 289, in the FAA aircraft registry.
- When was the Beechcraft 35-B33 built?
- From about 1961 to 1964. Half of those registered today were built by 1963.
- What engine does the Beechcraft 35-B33 have?
- Most have the Continental IO-470 (94% of those registered).
- What are common problems with the Beechcraft 35-B33?
- In 2 Service Difficulty Reports filed with the FAA since 2016, the systems reported most were engine (reciprocating), reciprocating engine oil system, and the part most often reported was a cracked case.
- How many accidents has the Beechcraft 35-B33 had?
- 12 in the NTSB's database since 2008, 2 of them fatal. The most common defining event was loss of engine power (total). These are counts, not rates: how many hours the fleet flew is not published.
- How many Airworthiness Directives does the Beechcraft 35-B33 have?
- 18 current ADs name the 35-B33 airframe, 1 of them with a repeat action, and 20 more name its engines. Whether each applies to one aircraft depends on its serial number and installed equipment.
Figures from the FAA aircraft registry and the FAA's Airworthiness Directives, rebuilt daily. An AD listed for a model is one to read; whether it applies to one aircraft depends on its serial number, equipment and records.