Beech C-35 accident near Lake Station, Indiana, February 26, 1987
On February 26, 1987 at about 3:05 am local time, a Beech C-35, registered N99QE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lake Station, Indiana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 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
- February 26, 1987 · about 3:05 am local time
- Place
- Lake Station, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech C-35 · all C-35s on the register
- Registration
- N99QE · no longer on the register · serial D-2985
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK A GUARD RAIL DURING AN EMERGENCY LANDING ON INTERSTATE 80 AFTER EXPERIENCING FUEL EXHAUSTION. THE PILOT HAD VISUALLY INSPECTED HIS FUEL SUPPLY PRIOR TO THE FIRST LEG OF THE FLIGHT AND THOUGHT THERE WAS ENOUGH FUEL FOR THE TRIP. INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT AFTER THE ACCIDENT BY BOTH FAA AND INDIANA STATE POLICE PERSONNEL REVEALED THE FUEL TANKS EMPTY AND NO SIGNS OF FUEL LEAKAGE.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 628 hours in all; 368 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 561 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,555 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 22, 1987; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,700 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-185-11 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PTK Pontiac MI at 1:45 am
- Destination: CGX Chicago IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 100° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:45 am from GYY, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.