Beech B35 accident near Bentonville, Arkansas, April 13, 1998
On April 13, 1998 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Beech B35, registered N5246C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bentonville, Arkansas. 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 damage to the empennage 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 13, 1998 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bentonville, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech B35 · all B35s on the register
- Registration
- N5246C · registry record · serial D-2638
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the airplane was just leveling off after a descent of 700 feet. The wind was light in smooth air. The airplane was in a 15 degree angle of bank right turn, 1 to 2 degrees nose down attitude, and at 180 mph. The airspeed was in the middle of the yellow arc. The pilot reported the airplane began to shake violently like a rivet gun hitting against the fuselage, or like a machine gun. He said the vibrations reverberated throughout his body. He did not feel any vibrations in the controls. He pushed over on the control column after about three seconds of vibration. The vibration stopped. An uneventful landing was made. The aircraft inspection revealed cracks in the upper two corners of the FS 256.9 bulkhead. The forward spar of the right ruddervator was broken. A crack had proceeded through the top spar flange and had worked its way down to the bottom flange but stopped about 1/4 inch prior to reaching a rivet hole. The center hinge had broken and a 8.5 inch skin tear was evident on the top surface of the ruddervator. The ruddervators were properly balanced. The inspection revealed no maintenance anomalies. The FAA issued an Airworthiness Directive 98-13-02 on July 7, 1998, restricting the airspeed to 144 mph on Beech 35, A35,and B35 airplanes. The aircraft manufacturer issued a Service Bulletin 27-3358 in February 2000, which required an extensive inspection of empennage components, and it changed the ruddervator underbalance from 16.8 to 19.8 inch pounds to 16.8 to 18.0 inch pounds in order to lift the speed restriction.
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; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,100 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 1,550 as pilot in command; 300 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,486 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 21, 1997; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-185-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ASC Springdale AR at 2:25 pm
- Destination: HOO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 17 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from FYV, 25 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.