Beech M35 accident near Amery, Wisconsin, July 27, 2015
On July 27, 2015 at about 10:24 pm local time, a 1959 Beech M35, registered N9CB, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering near Amery, Wisconsin. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s loss of airplane control while maneuvering with the airplane near its maximum gross weight, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle-of-attack and entering an aerodynamic stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 27, 2015 · about 10:24 pm local time
- Place
- Amery, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech M35, built 1959 · all M35s on the register
- Registration
- N9CB · no longer on the register · serial D-6231
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot departed for a personal flight with three passengers in a single-engine airplane near its maximum takeoff weight. About 7 miles northeast of the departure airport, several witnesses noticed the airplane maneuvering. One witness described the airplane in a steep climb, then "making a circle, and then twisting" before dropping nose down and disappearing behind a tree line. Another witness reported seeing the airplane in a nose-down attitude with its wings rocking back and forth. Three other witnesses noticed the airplane spinning before impact. The airplane impacted an open wheat field with a nose-down attitude and low forward velocity, consistent with an aerodynamic stall. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Aircraft capability › Maximum weight › Capability exceeded
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 371 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 283 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 25, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
Passenger
- Seat: rear
- Injury: fatal
Passenger
- Seat: rear
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,244 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 7, 2015; 105 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-C (piston); 4,255 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: St. Croix Bonaza Association LLC
The flight
- Departed from: KRNH New Richmond WI at 10:16 pm
- Destination: 9WN2 Webster WI
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,100 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 10:15 pm from KRNH, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
10 documents, released by the NTSB on March 9, 2016. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electronic Device Factual Report | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos of Airplane at Accident Site | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Witness Interviews | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Correspondence with Co-owner of Airplane | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Correspondence with Friend of Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Weight and Balance - Airplane Flight Manual | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Weight and Balance - NTSB Calculation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | Tip Tanks Supplemental Type Certificate | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Tip Tanks AFM and POH Supplement | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 10 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.