Beech V35B accident near Tuskegee, Alabama, January 1, 1982
On January 1, 1982 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Beech V35B, registered N4275S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tuskegee, Alabama (Tuskegee airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 1, 1982 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Tuskegee, Alabama · Tuskegee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech V35B · all V35Bs on the register
- Registration
- N4275S · registry record · serial D9961
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING LANDING, THE PILOT PUT THE LANDING GEAR AND FLAP HANDLES IN THE DOWN POSITIONS. HE HEARD NOISES THAT SOUNDED LIKE BOTH HAD EXTENDED AND ASSUMED EVERYTHING WAS IN PLACE. THE PILOT WAS UNAWARE THAT THE LANDING GEAR WAS NOT DOWN UNTIL AFTER TOUCHDOWN. AN EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE GEAR WOULD NOT EXTEND BY NORMAL MEANS, BUT HAD TO BE STARTED WITH THE EMERGENCY CRANK. LATER, THE LANDING GEAR RETRACT MOTOR WAS FOUND TO BE BURNED OUT. ALSO, THE LANDING GEAR RETRACT RODS WERE BENT.
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: 7,000 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model; 43 in the last 90 days; 5,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 670 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,650 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BA (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Welch CO. Of The South
The flight
- Departed from: St. Louis MO at 11:00 am
- Destination: M07 Searcy AR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N4275S the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.