Beech C35 accident near Oshkosh, Wisconsin, July 29, 2001
On July 29, 2001 at about 4:34 pm local time, a Beech C35, registered N35BJ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Oshkosh, Wisconsin (Wittman Regional Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 29, 2001 · about 4:34 pm local time
- Place
- Oshkosh, Wisconsin · Wittman Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech C35 · all C35s on the register
- Registration
- N35BJ · no longer on the register · serial D-2848
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that he was on the approach to runway 27. He said he was on a right hand base turn to final with a high rate of descent. The pilot said, "I misjudged the descent profile and flared too late. The aircraft continued the descent and struck the runway." Several witnesses observed the airplane in a right-hand base leg to final for runway 27. One witness said he saw the airplane rocking real bad. The left wing dipped down. The witness said he lost sight of the airplane behind a building, but heard the airplane impact the ground. Another witness also saw the airplane in an "extreme close right base to runway 27". The witness said, "He had his power back and he was in an extreme bank [of] about 60 degrees. The airplane stalled and from the right wing low attitude, he went to a left wing low attitude. The aircraft at this time was on a 260-degree heading. The left wing came down. It (the airplane) was coming down in a nose low, left wing down position." The witness said, "The left wingtip hit the ground approximately at the VASI lights. It crinkled up very nicely and absorbed a lot of energy, and as it was doing that, it started to cartwheel. The engine was the second thing to hit. It (the airplane) left its prop[eller] where the engine hit. Then the aircraft continued to cartwheel but now flattened out, so as it hit the right wing tip, the fuselage started settling into the ground. Then it slid backwards for a brief period of time." An examination of the airplane 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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all; 2,900 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 30, 1999
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,973.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2001; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,850 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520BA (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RAC Racine WI at 3:30 pm
- Destination: OSH Oshkosh WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 6,178 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 2.5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,400 ft; a few clouds at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 4:33 pm from OSH, 1 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.
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.