Beech V35 accident near Shawnee, Oklahoma, May 23, 1997
On May 23, 1997 at about 9:48 pm local time, a Beech V35, registered N5459U, was destroyed in an accident near Shawnee, Oklahoma. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadvertent entry into a spin. A factor was the pilot's initiated flight into adverse weather.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 23, 1997 · about 9:48 pm local time
- Place
- Shawnee, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech V35 · all V35s on the register
- Registration
- N5459U · no longer on the register · serial D-8541
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The noninstrument-rated private pilot called the FSS for a weather briefing. The briefer recommended to the pilot to 'not fly VFR.' The pilot stated to the briefer that 'I'm not going to fly with those [weather] conditions.' The pilot departed on runway 17, at approximately 1643. The airplane climbed to approximately 2,000 feet agl before it began descending. Several witnesses observed the airplane 'spinning very rapidly out of the clouds to the ground.' A witness reported that he (the witness) departed the airport approximately 20 to 30 minutes before the accident. He stated that the local area weather was: visibility 5 miles with haze, cloud condition generally overcast with some areas of occasional broken, cloud bottoms were at approximately 1,500 feet agl, and the cloud tops were approximately 2,200 feet agl.
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
- Flight time: 433 hours in all; 29 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,600 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 1996; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BA(10) (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SNL at 9:44 pm
- Destination: MOT Minot ND
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,500 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:56 pm from OKC, 30 miles away
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.
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.