Beech F.35 accident near Sidney, Ohio, February 5, 1991
On February 5, 1991 at about 2:57 pm local time, a Beech F.35, registered N3822B, was destroyed in an accident near Sidney, Ohio. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S INTENTIONAL VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. FACTORS IN THE ACCIDENT WERE THE PILOT'S DISREGARD FOR DIRECTIVES AND OVERCONFIDENCE IN HIS ABILITY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 5, 1991 · about 2:57 pm local time
- Place
- Sidney, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech F.35
- Registration
- N3822B · no longer on the register · serial D-4083
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A PRIVATE PILOT DEPARTED WITH OUT A FLIGHT PLAN IN INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS FOR A DESTINATION 20 MILES NORTH. THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED 75 FEET ABOVE GROUND FOLLOWING A COUNTRY ROAD LEADING TO THE AIRPORT. THE PILOT ASKED FOR FIELD ELEVATION ON UNICOM. THE AIRPORT MANAGER RESPONDED AND INFORMED HIM THE FIELD HAD ZERO VISIBILITY AND CEILING. IMMEDIATELY THEREAFTER, WITNESSES HEARD THE AIRPLANE OVERFLY THE FIELD FOLLOWED BY THE SOUND OF A CRASH. THE AIRPLANE WAS FOUND 250 YEARDS FROM THE FIELD, WHERE IT COLIDED WITH TREES ATOP A STEEPLY RISING BLUFF.
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: 8,000 hours in all; 22 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,805 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 20, 1990; 53 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-225-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DAY Dayton OH at 2:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:52 pm from DAY, 20 miles away
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.