Beech F35 accident near Oshkosh, Wisconsin, April 17, 2001
On April 17, 2001 at about 1:16 pm local time, a Beech F35, registered N888SM, was destroyed in an accident near Oshkosh, Wisconsin (Whittman Regional Airport). It was a flight test under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in a stall. The low altitude was a contributing factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 17, 2001 · about 1:16 pm local time
- Place
- Oshkosh, Wisconsin · Whittman Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech F35 · all F35s on the register
- Registration
- N888SM · no longer on the register · serial D-4051
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight test · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was destroyed when it impacted terrain while on short final. The pilot advised the air traffic control tower that he was going to land short. A witness reported that he saw the airplane flying low with its wings wobbling. The witness also stated that the airplane's nose and left wing dropped and he lost sight of the airplane. An analysis of the airplane's radio transmissions revealed the sound of a warning horn that was consistent with the stall warning horn from a Beech Bonanza. An engine run revealed no anomalies.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,860 hours in all; 763 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days; 1,022 as pilot in command; 604 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 1, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,991.8 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 10, 2001; 1.4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Teledyne Continental E-225-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OSH Oshkosh WI at 12:44 pm
- Destination: OSH Oshkosh WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 8,002 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 20 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.31 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from OSH, 1 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.