Beech V35B accident near Manor, Texas, May 16, 1991
On May 16, 1991 at about 3:20 pm local time, a Beech V35B, registered N9435Q, was destroyed in an accident near Manor, Texas. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S OPERATION OF THE AIRCRAFT AT A GROSS WEIGHT AND CENTER OF GRAVITY WHICH EXCEEDED THE CERTIFICATED OPERATING LIMITATIONS, RESULTING IN LOSS OF CONTROL AND STRUCTURAL OVERLOAD. TURBULENCE WAS A RELATED FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 16, 1991 · about 3:20 pm local time
- Place
- Manor, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech V35B · all V35Bs on the register
- Registration
- N9435Q · no longer on the register · serial D-9317
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT LOST CTL OF THE ACFT IN IFR CONDS AS THE PLANE WAS DSCNDG THRU ABT 6000' MSL, IN AN AREA OF CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY WITH MODERATE TO SEVERE TURBC & UP/DOWN DRAFTS. BOTH WINGS SEPD FM THE ACFT & WRECKAGE WAS SCATTERED OVER AN AREA OF APRX 1.5 MI. CALCULATIONS SHOWED THAT AT THE TIME OF THE ACDNT, THE ACFT'S GROSS WT WAS 29 LBS OVER ITS MAX LIMIT, AND THE CENTER-OF-GRAVITY (CG) WAS ABT 3.3 TO 5.3 INCHES BEHIND THE AFT LIMIT. UNDER THESE CONDS, THE ACFT'S MANEUVERING STABILITY & STICK FORCE PER 'G' CHARACTERISTICS WOULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY DEGRADED. IN TURN, THIS WOULD HAVE ALLOWED THE PLT TO EXCEED THE STRUCTURAL DESIGN LIMITS OF THE ACFT WITH LITTLE OR NO EFFORT. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE DISCLOSED EVIDENCE OF APPARENT FLAP ASYMMETRY, A COND WHICH WAY HAVE OCCURRED DRG THE IN-FLT BREAKUP OF THE ACFT.
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: 315 hours in all; 38 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 241 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,883 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 26, 1991; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BA (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ADS Addison TX at 2:04 pm
- Destination: AUS Austin TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,700 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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 N9435Q 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.