Beech C35 accident near Leslie, Arkansas, August 5, 1992
On August 5, 1992 at about 8:10 pm local time, a Beech C35, registered N617D, was destroyed in an accident near Leslie, Arkansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
PILOT ATTEMPTED VFR FLIGHT INTO IMC. FACTORS WERE FOG, MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 5, 1992 · about 8:10 pm local time
- Place
- Leslie, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech C35 · all C35s on the register
- Registration
- N617D · registry record · serial D-2875
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NON INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT HAD RECEIVED AN FAA OUTLOOK BRIEFING FOR THE DESTINATION AREA PRIOR TO HIS DEPARTURE. HE WAS BRIEFED ABOUT THE STATIONARY FRONT AND FORECASTED RAIN SHOWERS THROUGHOUT THE AREA FOR THE ENTIRE DAY. HE WAS ADVISED TO REQUEST AN UPDATE FORECAST BRIEFING LATER IN THE DAY. INVESTIGATION DID NOT REVEAL ANY ADDITIONAL BRIEFINGS. SURFACE WEATHER REPORTS THROUGHOUT THE AREA INDICATED OVERCAST CEILINGS AND REDUCED VISIBILITY DUE TO FOG AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. A WITNESS REPORTED OBSERVING THE AIRPLANE FLYING IN AND OUT OF THE FOG NEAR THE MOUNTAINS AND THEN FLYING INTO THE FOG BANK BELOW THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN. THE WITNESS REPORTED THE ACCIDENT AND ASSISTED IN LOCATING THE SITE.
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
- Flight time: 930 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,591 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 18, 1992; 37 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,700 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-185-11 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: TVC Traverse City MI at 2:00 pm
- Destination: M03 Conway AR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.