Beech P35 accident near Ottumwa, Iowa, August 31, 1993
On August 31, 1993 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Beech P35, registered N8527M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ottumwa, Iowa. 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
an oil leak in the oil filter adapter. A factor was landing in a crop field.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 31, 1993 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ottumwa, Iowa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech P35 · all P35s on the register
- Registration
- N8527M · no longer on the register · serial D-7191
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT, THE AIRPLANE EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF OIL PRESSURE. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING AT AN AIRPORT IN OTTUMWA, IOWA; HOWEVER, WHEN HE REALIZED THAT THE AIRPLANE WOULD NOT MAKE THE AIRPORT, HE ELECTED TO LAND IN A CROP FIELD. A POST-ACCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS A LEAK IN THE OIL FILTER ADAPTER GASKET.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,362 hours in all; 1,140 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 1,362 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,540 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 1993; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,125 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-N (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 31P Independence MO at 2:55 pm
- Destination: C11 Amana IA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from OTM, 2 miles away
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.