Beech V35A accident near West Lafayette, Indiana, October 5, 1997
On October 5, 1997 at about 10:22 pm local time, a Beech V35A, registered N1566A, was substantially damaged in an accident near West Lafayette, Indiana (Purdue University Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's improper decision not to land before his airplane ran out of fuel, fuel exhaustion and the inadvertent stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 5, 1997 · about 10:22 pm local time
- Place
- West Lafayette, Indiana · Purdue University Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech V35A · all V35As on the register
- Registration
- N1566A · no longer on the register · serial D-9021
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness, near the approach end of the runway, monitoring the air traffic control tower frequency, heard the tower clear the airplane to enter left traffic for runway 23, and saw the airplane enter left downwind for the traffic pattern. The witness said that the airplane 'was very low for that part of the pattern, 300 to 500 feet above ground level. The pilot told the tower that he was abeam the numbers for runway 28 and wanted to land on that runway. The airplane 'began a sharp turn, but without much bank - probably skidding - when parallel to runway 28, the plane wobbled, banked sharply left and right, and lost altitude. The airplane 'appeared to be in a landing-type attitude, not nose down.' The airplane wobbled, straightened out, then 'disappeared from sight behind hills and buildings.' Examination of the airplane's fuel tanks revealed no fuel in the right fuel tank. Six gallons of fuel were recovered from the left fuel tank. The fuel selector valve in the airplane's cockpit was positioned on the right fuel tank. No other anomalies were found with the airplane.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,960 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,078 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 4, 1997
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: LAF
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 4,226 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:30 pm from LAF, 1 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.