Beech V35A accident near Jonesville, Virginia, July 24, 1991
On July 24, 1991 at about 1:18 pm local time, a Beech V35A, registered N118CB, was destroyed in an accident near Jonesville, Virginia (Lee County 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND (PIC) TO ASSURE THAT THE INSTRUMENT DEPARTURE PROCEDURE WAS FOLLOWED AND THAT THE AIRCRAFT REMAINED CLEAR OF MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 24, 1991 · about 1:18 pm local time
- Place
- Jonesville, Virginia · Lee County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech V35A · all V35As on the register
- Registration
- N118CB · registry record · serial D8983
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
BEFORE TAKING OFF FM THE UNCTLD ARPT, THE FLT OBTAINED A WX BRIEFING, FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN & RCVD AN INSTRUMENT CLNC BY TELEPHONE WITH A VOID TIME OF 15 MIN LATER. A WITNESS ESTIMATED THE ARPT WX WAS 200' OVC, VIS 1 TO 5 MI WITH FOG, AND STONE MTN (NORTH OF THE ARPT) WAS OBSCURED. THE ACFT DEPD FM RWY 25 WITH 4 RATED PLTS ABOARD. THE OWNER (A NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT) WAS IN THE LEFT FNT SEAT & A COMMERCIAL RATED INSTRUCTOR PLT (PIC/CFI/CFII) WAS IN THE RGT FNT SEAT. SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, THE ACFT CRASHED INTO STONE MTN, APRX 2.5 MI FROM THE ARPT, ON A HDG OF ABT 310 DEG. AN EXAM REVEALED THE THROWOVER YOKE WAS TO THE LEFT. LOGS SHOWED THE OWNER HAD BEEN RCVG INSTRUMENT INSTRUCTION FM THE INSTRUCTOR IN THE RGT FNT SEAT. THE INSTRUMENT DEP PROC WAS TO CLIMB VISUALLY OVR ARPT TO 2800', THEN CONT CLIMB VIA DRCT LONG HOLLOW NON-DRCTNL BCN HOLDING PATTERN TO 5000' BEFORE PROCEEDING ON COURSE. ETHANOL WAS DETECTED IN THE RGT FNT SEAT OCCUPANT'S BLOOD; HOWEVER, THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF DECOMPOSITION IN THE SAMPLE.
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,932 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 12, 1990; 193 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BA (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PTG Pennington Gap VA at 1:17 pm
- Destination: RFD Rockford IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 25, 2,262 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number BFO91FA068.