Beech G-35 accident near Neah Bay, Washington, October 4, 1998
On October 4, 1998 at about 3:00 am local time, a Beech G-35, registered N4479D, was destroyed in an accident near Neah Bay, Washington. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Undetermined. Missing Aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 4, 1998 · about 3:00 am local time
- Place
- Neah Bay, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Beech G-35 · all G-35s on the register
- Registration
- N4479D · no longer on the register · serial D-4634
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certificated private pilot departed a rural airport in Alaska on a VFR cross country flight along remote, coastal terrain, without filing a flight plan. Ten days later, the airplane was reported overdue when it did not arrive at a possible intermediate stop in the Seattle, Washington, area, or at the pilot's planned destination in Michigan. After the overdue report, Coast Guard personnel in Alaska began to gather data about the airplane, pilot, and possible routes. They were not aware that a wing mounted auxiliary fuel tank had been found the day after the airplane departed, in the Port Angeles, Washington, area. On the day the fuel tank was found, Coast Guard personnel from Port Angeles conducted a search for other debris, but found none. Since the pilot did not file a flight plan, Coast Guard and FAA personnel in the Seattle area did not have any reports of overdue airplanes. After the airplane was reported overdue, FAA personnel in Alaska recalled a report of the fuel tank being found in the Seattle area. The missing airplane report, and the fuel tank, were eventually linked together. Family members positively identified the fuel tank as part of the accident airplane. The pilot is presumed to have received fatal injuries. After an additional search, no other parts of the airplane have been located. Weather data in the Port Angeles area on the presumed day of the accident, included a wide area of rain showers.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 260 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,971 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 14, 1998
- Maximum gross weight: 2,775 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-225-8 (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: HNS Haines AK at 4:00 pm
- Destination: Seattle WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 am from CLM, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.