Beech 35-B33 accident near Winston-Salem, North Carolina, November 26, 1986
On November 26, 1986 at about 10:50 pm local time, a Beech 35-B33, registered N9592Y, was destroyed in an accident near Winston-Salem, North Carolina (Simth Reynolds airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- November 26, 1986 · about 10:50 pm local time
- Place
- Winston-Salem, North Carolina · Simth Reynolds · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 35-B33 · all 35-B33s on the register
- Registration
- N9592Y · no longer on the register · serial CD-578
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLT DEPARTED ROCHESTER, NY, AND RECEIVED AND IFR CLEARANCE. THE FLT AND ATC HANDLING WERE NORMAL. THE PLT WAS CLEARED FOR THE ILS RWY 33 APCH TO WINSTON-SALEM, NC. THE FLT WAS ESTABLISHED ON THE FINAL APCH BUT COLLIDED WITH TREES ABOUT 2 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE ARPT. THE WRECKAGE EXAMINATION FAILED TO DISCLOSE ANY ACFT FAILURES OR MALFUNCTIONS. BOTH THE ACFT AND CREW WRE PROPERLY CERTIFIED AND CURRENT FOR THIS FLT. THE REPORTED WX MINIMUMS FOR THIS APCH ARE 200 FT CEILING AND 1/2 MILE VIS. THE WX WAS AT MINIMUMS. THE APCH FACILITIES WERE OPERATING NORMALLY. THE PLT FAILED TO MAINTAIN THE GLIDE SLOPE PROFILE THROUGHOUT THE APCH.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,432 hours in all; 43 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 1,353 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,325 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 17, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-K (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Rochester NY at 6:30 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 33, 6,655 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 7 knots
- Sky: not recorded at 200 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from INT, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.