Beech J35 accident near Chesapeake, Virginia, August 18, 1984
On August 18, 1984 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Beech J35, registered N256AA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chesapeake, Virginia (Hampton Roads 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
- August 18, 1984 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Chesapeake, Virginia · Hampton Roads · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech J35 · all J35s on the register
- Registration
- N256AA · registry record · serial D-5587
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT HAD NOT BEEN FLOWN FOR ABOUT 5 YRS. THE PLT, WHO WAS A MECHANIC, PERFORMED AN ENG GROUND RUN & THE ENG STOPPED AFTER HE NOTED A FUEL FLOW PROBLEM. HE EXAMINED THE ENG & FOUND THAT THE FUEL INJECTORS WERE CLOGGED WITH CORROSION. THEY WERE CLEANED, & AFTERWARDS, THE ENG WAS GROUND RUN FOR APRX 30 MIN AT SEVERAL POWER SETTING & IT PERFORMED WITHOUT INCIDENT. BEFORE TAKING OFF ON A TEST FLT, ANOTHER GROUND RUN-UP WAS MADE. DURING TAKEOFF AT ABOUT 200 FT AGL, THE ENG LOST POWER. AT THAT TIME, THE FUEL GAGE WAS REPORTEDLY PEGGED, INDICATING BLOCKAGE. THE ACFT WAS THEN LANDED IN A MATURE CORN FIELD & WAS DAMAGED. AN EXAM OF THE ENG REVEALED CORROSION IN THE FUEL LINES.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,000 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 5,785 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,925 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 3,526 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from ORF, 17 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.