Beech V35B accident near Frisco, North Carolina, April 16, 1983
On April 16, 1983 at about 1:58 am local time, a Beech V35B, registered N9394Q, was destroyed in an accident near Frisco, North Carolina (Billy Mitchell Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. 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
- April 16, 1983 · about 1:58 am local time
- Place
- Frisco, North Carolina · Billy Mitchell Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech V35B · all V35Bs on the register
- Registration
- N9394Q · no longer on the register · serial D-9162
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE DESTINATION ARPT WAS UNLIGHTED & WAS CLOSED FROM 30 MIN AFTER SUNSET UNTIL 30 MIN BEFORE SUNRISE. PRIOR TO THE FLT, THE PLT MADE ARRANGEMENTS FOR SOMEONE TO TAKE HIS CAR TO THE DESTINATION ARPT & PARK IT WITH THE HEADLIGHTS TURNED ON AT THE APCH END OF RWY 06. THE ACFT ARRIVED AFTER DARK. THE PERSON THAT BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE ARPT, REPORTED THAT THE PLT MADE SEVERAL LOW APCHS TO RWY 06. EACH TIME, THE PLT EXECUTED A GO-AROUND. THE WITNESS NOTED THAT THE SOUTHWEST WIND WAS "ROCKING THE PLANE AROUND QUITE A BIT," THAT THE ACFT WAS NOT LINED UP VERY WELL, & THAT THE THERE WAS A STRONG X-WIND COMPONENT FROM THE QUARTERING TAIL WIND. AFTER ABOUT THE 7TH APPROACH, THE ACFT DRIFTED RIGHT OF THE RWY & LOST ALTITUDE DURING THE GO-AROUND; THEN HIT A POWER LINE, CRASHED & BURNED.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,207 hours in all; 1,065 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,119 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 29, 1982
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BA8 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: ORF Norfolk VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6, 3,000 ft by 76 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 190° at 17 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 149°F (65°C), dew point 133°F (56°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:49 am from HAT, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.