Beech 35 incident near Spokane, Washington, April 29, 1997
On April 29, 1997 at about 1:30 am local time, a Beech 35, registered N2839V, was involved in an incident near Spokane, Washington. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the vibration of the fuselage was due to flutter.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 29, 1997 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Spokane, Washington · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 35 · all 35s on the register
- Registration
- N2839V · no longer on the register · serial 244
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he was conducting a maintenance test flight. He was flying straight and level at 160 mph. The sky was 6,500 feet broken with smooth air. The pilot reported that the airplane started to vibrate. He reported that the vibration started as a minor shake and intensified 'like an earthquake.' The pilot pulled the throttle immediately (less than 3 seconds) and the vibration stopped. An uneventful landing was made. The inspection to the airplane revealed no visible damage. The pilot reported that the vibration was the same kind of vibration that he experienced in the same airplane on August 1, 1996. The only changes made to the airplane since the first vibration had been the installation of a B35 model bulkhead, and the installation of F35 model equivalent counterweights. The airplane exhibited no anomalies. The ruddervators were properly balanced.
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: 700 hours in all; 652 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,213 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 31, 1996; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-185-11 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SFF at 1:00 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°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.
Other NTSB records under N2839V the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.