Beech V35B accident near Lexington, North Carolina, June 8, 1987
On June 8, 1987 at about 9:25 pm local time, a Beech V35B, registered N55KP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lexington, North Carolina. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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
- June 8, 1987 · about 9:25 pm local time
- Place
- Lexington, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech V35B · all V35Bs on the register
- Registration
- N55KP · registry record · serial D-9173
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE ENCOUNTERED ROUGH TERRAIN AND IMPACTED TREES DURING A FORCED LANDING ATTEMPT IN A FIELD. THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE ENGINE HAD LOST PWR AT 8,500 FT MSL. POST-ACCIDENT EXAM OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT THE #1 CYL BARREL HAD CRACKED AND SEPARATED NEAR THE CYL HEAD. METALLURGICAL EXAM OF THE BARREL REVEALED THAT IT WAS NOT MANUFACTURED ACCORDING TO THE MFR'S SPECS. FAA AD 86-13-04 APPLIED TO THIS ENGINE AND CYL BARREL, AND HAD BEEN COMPLIED WITH 41 HOURS PRIOR TO THE CYL FAILURE. THE AD REQUIRED RECURRING VISUAL EXAM AND PRESSURE CKS FOR CRACKS EVERY 50 HOURS UNTIL 440-490 HRS TOTAL OPERATING TIME (TT). THE ENGINE HAD BEEN REBUILT BY THE MFR IN FEB 86, AND HAD 214 HRS TT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,600 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 1,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,132 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 14, 1987; 41 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BA8B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: W07 Fredricksburg VA at 7:45 pm
- Destination: Dothan AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from GSO, 24 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.