Beech 35 accident near Chesapeake, Virginia, May 17, 1984
On May 17, 1984 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Beech 35, registered N934, was destroyed in an accident near Chesapeake, Virginia. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 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
- May 17, 1984 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Chesapeake, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 35 · all 35s on the register
- Registration
- N934 · no longer on the register · serial D 6390
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS BEING FLOWN ON A TEST FLT AFTER A NEW FUEL PUMP HAD BEEN INSTALLED. WHILE TAXIING FOR TAKEOFF, THE ENG STOPPED. THE PLT RESTARTED THE ENG & SUBSEQUENTLY PERFORMED A TAKEOFF. WITNESSES SAW THE ACFT CLIMB TO ABOUT 500 FT AGL & BEGIN A TURN ONTO THE X-WIND LEG. THE TURN STEEPENED & THE PLT TURN BACK TOWARD THE ARPT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT DESCENDED, CRASHED IN A WOODED AREA & BURNED. THE ACFT WAS DEMOLISHED BY IMPACT & FIRE. NO PREIMPACT FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS VERIFIED DURING AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,210 hours in all; 22 in this make and model; 164 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 3,868 as pilot in command; 2,750 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 10, 1984; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-C (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from ORF, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.