Beech E35 accident near Escanaba, Michigan, July 17, 1992
On July 17, 1992 at about 9:10 pm local time, a Beech E35, registered N3488B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Escanaba, Michigan. 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 PILOT'S DECISION TO FLY INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 17, 1992 · about 9:10 pm local time
- Place
- Escanaba, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech E35 · all E35s on the register
- Registration
- N3488B · no longer on the register · serial D3709
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PILOT ON VFR CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT ENCOUNTERED HEAVY PRECIPITATION BETWEEN HIS AIRPLANE AND HIS DESTINATION. WHILE MANEUVERING TO CIRCUMNAVIGATE THE PRECIPITATION, HE SAW A BREAK BETWEEN TWO CELLS. SEVERE TURBULENCE WAS ENCOUNTERED WHEN HE FLEW BETWEEN THE CELLS. STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO THE EMPENNAGE OF THE AIRPLANE WAS DISCOVERED AFTER LANDING.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,965 hours in all; 255 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 1,807 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,039 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 7, 1992; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,725 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-225-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3CK Lake-In-Hills IL at 7:30 pm
- Destination: ESC Escanaba MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°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.