Beech BE-35 accident near Denver City, Texas, December 21, 2002
On December 21, 2002 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Beech BE-35, registered N9096Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Denver City, Texas (Denver City Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate compensation for the prevailing wind conditions. A contributing factor was the crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 21, 2002 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Denver City, Texas · Denver City Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech BE-35
- Registration
- N9096Q · registry record · serial D-9206
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot lost control of the aircraft, while attempting to land on Runway 22. The 686-hour pilot reported that upon landing on Runway 22, and while correcting for a crosswind after touchdown, the pilot lost control of the aircraft, and the aircraft departed the runway to the left after a ground roll of approximately 1,400 feet and struck an embankment resulting in structural damage to the airframe. The reported weather conditions at the time of the accident were; wind from 250 degrees at 17 knots, gusting to 22 knots.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 686 hours in all; 18 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,010 hours
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BA (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: T41 La Porte TX at 1:00 pm
- Destination: ABQ Albuquerque NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 5,780 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 22 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number FTW03LA065.