Beech V35-TC accident near Mount Vernon, Illinois, March 28, 1987
On March 28, 1987, a Beech V35-TC, registered N2820S, was destroyed in an accident near Mount Vernon, Illinois (Mt Vernon airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 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
- March 28, 1987
- Place
- Mount Vernon, Illinois · Mt Vernon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech V35-TC · all V35-TCs on the register
- Registration
- N2820S · registry record · serial D-8432
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS ON A TEST FLT AFTER A TOP-OVERHAUL HAD JUST BEEN COMPLETED. MECHANICS RPRTD THAT BEFORE THE FLT, THE ENG HAD BEEN PROPERLY RIGGED & OPERATED NORMALLY DRG RUN-UP. DRG INITIAL CLIMB AFTER TAKEOFF, WITNESSES SAID THE ENG LOST POWER. THE PLT INITIATED A STEEP (70-75 DEGREE BANKED) TURN BACK TOWARD THE ARP. DRG THE TURN, THE NOSE DROPPED & THE ACFT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A LEFT WING LOW, NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THE ACFT WAS EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED BY IMPACT & GROUND FIRE. A TEARDOWN OF THE ENG REVEALED INTERNAL ENGINE MECHANICAL CONTINUITY, EVIDENCE OF OIL PUMP OPERATION, AND NORMAL LUBRICATION. THE DUAL MAG HAD EXTENSIVE FIRE DMG. THE FUEL PUMP WAS CHARRED; INVESTIGATORS WERE UNABLE TO ROTATE DRIVESHAFT. TEARDOWN DID NOT CONFIRM REASON FOR POWER LOSS.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,040 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,585 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 13, 1986; 52 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-J2BD (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: MVN
- Destination: MVN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 5, 6,498 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.