Beech V35 accident near Frankfort, Michigan, May 13, 2019
On May 13, 2019, a 1967 Beech V35, registered N1561Z, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Frankfort, Michigan. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 13, 2019
- Place
- Frankfort, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech V35, built 1967 · all V35s on the register
- Registration
- N1561Z · no longer on the register · serial D-8442
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot and passenger were conducting a cross-country flight. A little over an hour into the flight over Lake Michigan, the pilot declared an emergency, reporting an engine failure. Radar data indicated that the airplane's flight track diverted to the nearest airport shortly after the pilot declared the emergency. Radar and radio communications were lost about 7 minutes later, when the airplane was about 4 nm west of Frankfort, Michigan, at an altitude of 700 ft and an airspeed of 77 mph. Ten days later, using a remotely operated underwater vehicle to search Lake Michigan in the area of the airplane's last radar contact, the Michigan State Police located the airplane at a water depth of 540 ft. The wreckage was not recovered; therefore, the engine could not be examined, and the reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined. A loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.
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 engine power (total) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › (general) › Failure
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,800 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 13 hours in all; 0 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OGM Ontonagon MI at 11:40 pm
- Destination: FKS Frankfort MI
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,500 ft; scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 29.85 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
9 documents, released by the NTSB on April 23, 2020. 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 | Dr. Salazar's E-mail | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Other Pertinent E-mails | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Ontonagon County Airport Register | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Flightaware Tracking Log | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | FAA Form 7230-4, Daily Record of Facility Operation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | FAA Form 8020-6, Report of Aircraft Accident | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Flight Prtogress Strip | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | Google Map of Accident Site and Its Proximity to Frankfort Airport | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 9 | Weather Reports and Map Pertinent to the Investigation | PDF, 3 pages | 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.