Beech S35 accident near Ottawa, Illinois, June 24, 1984
On June 24, 1984 at about 5:40 am local time, a Beech S35, registered N905T, was destroyed in an accident near Ottawa, Illinois (Ottawa airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 24, 1984 · about 5:40 am local time
- Place
- Ottawa, Illinois · Ottawa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech S35 · all S35s on the register
- Registration
- N905T · no longer on the register · serial D-7671
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT SAID HE 'LEFT WORD' FOR THE OTTAWA ARPT LIGHTS TO BE LEFT ON UNTIL 0200 HRS ON 6/24. WHEN THE FLT ARRIVED AT OTTAWA, THE LIGHTS WERE NOT ON. THE PLT SAID HE 'ATTEMPTED TO MAKE AN APPROACH, IT FAILED.' THE ACFT WAS LANDED IN A NEARBY FIELD. THE ARPT MANAGER SAID THAT HE DID NOT RECEIVE A REQUEST FOR THE LIGHTS. A CHECK OF THE PLT'S BLOOD SHOWED AN ALCOHOL LEVEL OF 0.178%.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,066 hours in all; 196 in this make and model; 124 in the last 90 days; 941 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,856 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 7, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: C13 Mcnabe IL at 5:10 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 3,173 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.