Beech K35 accident near Grafton, Iowa, July 21, 2001
On July 21, 2001 at about 6:22 pm local time, a Beech K35, registered N6062E, was destroyed in an accident near Grafton, Iowa. It was a personal 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
The pilot's improper inflight decision to continue into known adverse weather. A factor was the thunderstorm.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 2001 · about 6:22 pm local time
- Place
- Grafton, Iowa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech K35 · all K35s on the register
- Registration
- N6062E · no longer on the register · serial D-5999
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was destroyed when it impacted the terrain in a muddy soybean field. The private pilot was not instrument rated. A witness reported the pilot was concerned about the weather and delayed the takeoff until about 1200. A 1258 special weather observation from a weather station located 20 miles northwest of the accident site, reported winds from 260 degrees at 8 knots gusting to 18 knots, visibility 3/4 miles, ceiling overcast at 200 feet, and lightning distant all quadrants. The 1319 special weather observation reported winds from 070 degrees at 7 knots, visibility 7 miles, scattered clouds at 400 feet, scattered clouds at 1,700 feet, ceiling overcast at 2,300 feet, and lightning distant all quadrants. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Meteorology Factual report stated, "The general route of flight indicates the flight was operating under light to moderate weather echoes for the majority of the flight, a brief break in the echoes until just prior to encountering intense to extreme echoes in the general vicinity of the accident site." A witness, who was located approximately one mile north of the accident site, reported a heavy downpour of rain (1.0 inch measured), high winds, pea size hail, and lightning between approximately 1315 and 1330. The inspection of the airplane wreckage revealed no preexisting anomalies to the airframe or engine.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 3,300 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,972 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 6, 2001; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-C(9) (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CKP Cherokee IA at 5:00 pm
- Destination: OSH Oshkosh WI
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,800 ft; scat at 2,300 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from MCW, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N6062E the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.