Beech 35 accident near Phillipsburg, Ohio, November 5, 1995
On November 5, 1995 at about 7:10 pm local time, a Beech 35, registered N5376E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Phillipsburg, Ohio (Phillipsburg airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 flight instructor's (CFI's) inadequate supervision of the flying pilot, and the flying pilot's abrupt handling of the airplane during an attempted go-around. Factors relating to the accident were: the flying pilot's lack of familiarity with light piston engine airplanes (kind of aircraft), and the CFI's decision to allow an unfamiliar pilot to attempt the landing, when he (the CFI) did not have access to a full set of flight controls.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 5, 1995 · about 7:10 pm local time
- Place
- Phillipsburg, Ohio · Phillipsburg · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 35 · all 35s on the register
- Registration
- N5376E · no longer on the register · serial D5904
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHTCREW REPORTED THAT THE COMMERCIAL PILOT/PROSPECTIVE AIRPLANE BUYER, WHO OCCUPIED THE LEFT SEAT, WAS HANDLING THE FLIGHT CONTROLS THROUGHOUT THE LOCAL FLIGHT. THE PILOT IN THE RIGHT SEAT WAS A FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR (CFI). WHEN THE AIRPLANE WAS ON SHORT FINAL APPROACH FOR THE RUNWAY, THE COMMERCIAL PILOT ANNOUNCED THAT HE INTENDED TO EXECUTE A GO-AROUND. BOTH PILOTS REPORTED THAT WHEN THE COMMERCIAL PILOT INITIATED THE GO-AROUND, HE INADVERTENTLY PLACED THE AIRPLANE IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THE CFI STATED THAT HE REACHED FOR THE FLIGHT CONTROL YOKE, AND ATTEMPTED TO PULL THE NOSE UP, BUT THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH ALTITUDE TO RECOVER. THE PILOTS ESTIMATED THAT THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE GROUND AT ABOUT A 30 DEGREE NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THE AIRPLANE WAS CONFIGURED WITH A SINGLE, THROW OVER YOKE, WHICH WAS POSITIONED TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE COCKPIT. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT WAS AN EX-MILITARY PILOT WITH VERY LITTLE TIME IN LIGHT PISTON ENGINE AIRPLANES.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,573 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 17, 1995; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3I7 at 6:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 2,746 ft by 34 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:54 pm from DAY, 8 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.