Beech 35 accident near Paintersville, Ohio, August 9, 1995
On August 9, 1995 at about 11:20 am local time, a Beech 35, registered N3944N, was destroyed in an accident near Paintersville, Ohio. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO OBTAIN A WEATHER BRIEFING, AND THE WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 9, 1995 · about 11:20 am local time
- Place
- Paintersville, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 35 · all 35s on the register
- Registration
- N3944N · no longer on the register · serial D-1202
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING CRUISE FLIGHT THE AIRPLANE CONTACTED AND CUT AN ELECTRICAL UTILITY WIRE SUSPENDED ABOUT 30 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH TREES AND THEN THE TERRAIN ABOUT 850 FEET BEYOND THE BROKEN WIRE. AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, A WEATHER REPORTING FACILITY LOCATED ABOUT 30 MILES NORTHWEST OF THE ACCIDENT SITE RECORDED THE CEILING TO BE 300 FEET AND VISIBILITY TO BE 3/4 MILE. ACCORDING TO FAA FSS RECORDS, THE PILOT DID NOT RECEIVE A WEATHER BRIEFING FROM ANY OF THEIR FACILITIES.
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: 184 hours in all; 140 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 128 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,878 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 6, 1995; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-225-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MTO Mattoon IL at 10:45 am
- Destination: I86 New Lexington OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 0.8 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:17 am from DAY, 30 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.