Beech V35B accident near Wetumpka, Alabama, April 4, 2015
On April 4, 2015 at about 1:15 am local time, a 1970 Beech V35B, registered N9172Q, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Wetumpka, Alabama (Wetumpka Muni 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 use of an incorrect radio frequency when attempting to turn on the runway lights, resulting is an attempt to land the airplane while aligned with airport hangar lights.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 4, 2015 · about 1:15 am local time
- Place
- Wetumpka, Alabama · Wetumpka Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech V35B, built 1970 · all V35Bs on the register
- Registration
- N9172Q · no longer on the register · serial D-9250
- 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 he was landing his airplane at night and mistook the hangar lights for runway lights. The airplane struck trees on the final approach, then the ground before coming to rest, inverted. The pilot said that, in retrospect, he was on the incorrect radio frequency when he attempted to turn on the pilot-activated runway lights. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the wreckage and reported that the airplane sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical problems with the airplane at the time of the accident. The runway lights operated normally after the accident.
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
What happened, in order
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Dark › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › (general) › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,326 hours in all; 1,909 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: March 6, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,137 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2014
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520 Series (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GLS Galveston TX
- Destination: 08A Wetumpka AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,011 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 200° at 9 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from MGM, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
14 documents, released by the NTSB on July 27, 2015. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.