Beech V35 accident near Visalia, CA
On December 5, 2021, a Beech V35 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Visalia, CA. 4 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- December 5, 2021
- Place
- Visalia, CA
- Aircraft
- Beech V35 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 4 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 36.320°N, 119.407°W
- NTSB ID
- 20211205104345
Official records · WPR22FA054
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Recording Of Flight Services Weather Briefing: Audio recording (WAV), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn December 4, 2021, about 1840 Pacific standard time (PST), a Beech V35 N7933M, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Visalia, California. The pilot and three passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Recorded ADS-B data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) showed that the airplane departed runway 30 at 1837:01 and climbed to 495 ft msl before entering a left turn. The data showed that at 1837:26, the airplane continued to climb in a left turn and reached an altitude of 620 ft msl before entering a descent. The data showed that the airplane continued descending in a left turn until ADS-B contact was lost at 1837:37, at an altitude of 395 ft, about 660 ft northwest of the accident site as seen in figure 1. The departing airport elevation was 295 ft msl. A witness located near the accident location reported that, while in her residence, she heard an airplane flying very low, followed by the sound of the airplane impacting terrain. While the airplane was flying overhead, the engine noise was constant and did not sound like it was malfunctioning. Concerned, she then notified first responders. Figure 1: View of airplane ADS-B track PERSONNEL INFORMATIONA review of the pilot’s logbook showed that he completed an instrument proficiency check on March 24, 2021. In the 12 months preceding the accident flight, he accumulated about 4 hours of simulated instrument flight, 0.4 hours of actual instrument flight and about 1 hour of night fligh
Probable cause
The pilot’s loss of control due to spatial disorientation shortly after takeoff. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to depart into night instrument meteorological conditions.
More accidents in CA
- Douglas MD-83, Feb 1, 2000
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-32, Aug 31, 1986
- British Aerospace BAE-146-200, Dec 8, 1987
- Beech C-99, Aug 24, 1984
- Sikorsky S-61N, Aug 6, 2008
Browse: California · Beech aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
