Beech S-35 accident near Clear Spring, Maryland, July 26, 2002
On July 26, 2002 at about 3:32 pm local time, a Beech S-35, registered N5761K, was destroyed in an accident near Clear Spring, Maryland (Hagerstown Regional Airport). 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
The pilot's continued visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in an in-flight collision with rising terrain. Factors included dense fog and mountainous terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 26, 2002 · about 3:32 pm local time
- Place
- Clear Spring, Maryland · Hagerstown Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech S-35 · all S-35s on the register
- Registration
- N5761K · no longer on the register · serial D-7548
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane first departed VFR about 1000. About 15 minutes later, the pilot contacted the tower controller and stated that he was returning to the airport because he "could not maintain VFR." After landing, the pilot called flight service and canceled his VFR flight plan, received an abbreviated weather briefing, and stated that he would attempt the same flight later in the day. At 1121, the airplane departed VFR again. At 1124, the pilot contacted a center controller and requested VFR flight following. The controller suggested that the pilot land, and file an IFR flight plan. Several witnesses in a mountainous area reported that they heard an airplane fly overhead, then heard the sound of a crash. Some witnesses saw the airplane appear briefly out of the clouds, then re-enter the clouds seconds before impacting rising terrain. Witnesses also reported rain and dense fog at the time, with visibility estimates ranging from 50 to 150 feet.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,550 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,074.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 16, 2002
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO 520 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: HGR Hagerstown MD at 3:21 pm
- Destination: CHA Chattanooga TN
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,300 ft; scat at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from HGR, 12 miles away
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.