Beech 35 accident near Lafayette, Georgia, November 27, 1996
On November 27, 1996 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Beech 35, registered N4523V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lafayette, Georgia (Barwick Lafayette airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of maintenance personnel to balance the ruddervator assemblies after they had been reskinned and painted, which resulted in flutter and subsequent damage to the empennage.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 27, 1996 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lafayette, Georgia · Barwick Lafayette · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 35 · all 35s on the register
- Registration
- N4523V · no longer on the register · serial D-1346
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Flutter of the empennage occurred during cruise flight. The pilot immediately reduced engine power, and the flutter subsided. Duration of the flutter was about three seconds. An examination of the empennage disclosed that the bulkhead at fuselage station (FS) 256.9 exhibited cracks at the four corners of the assembly. Also, buckling of the fuselage skin was noted adjacent to the damaged bulkhead. The ruddervators were removed from the airframe and balance checked in accordance with the Bonanza 35 Series Shop Manual. The left and right ruddervators exhibited static underbalance moments (trailing edge heavy) of 23.73 and 22.95 inch-pounds, respectively. According to the service manual, the required static underbalance range is 16.80 to 19.80 inch pounds. Both ruddervators had been reskinned (or replaced) and repainted. An unbroken paint seal around the screws (that attached the counterweights to the ruddervators) indicated that the counterweights had not been removed subsequent to repainting.
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
- Flight time: 750 hours in all; 35 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,306 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 4, 1996; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-225 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 9W5 at 9:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 2, 5,400 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:00 pm from CHA, 35 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.