Beech C35 accident near Chambers, Arizona, June 30, 2002
On June 30, 2002 at about 4:24 am local time, a Beech C35, registered N5856C, was destroyed in an accident near Chambers, Arizona. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's loss of airplane control after falling asleep due to fatigue, which resulted in a structural failure of the airframe during a high speed descent after the design stress limits of the aircraft were exceeded.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 30, 2002 · about 4:24 am local time
- Place
- Chambers, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech C35 · all C35s on the register
- Registration
- N5856C · no longer on the register · serial D-2808
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a nighttime cross-country flight in clear visual meteorological conditions, the airplane departed from controlled flight and broke up during a steep high speed descent. Wreckage was located over a 1,650-foot-long southerly path about 0.4 miles from the last recorded radar position, with the right wing and right stabalator found early in the debris field. The pilot had awakened at 0600 and reported for work at 0750, and he had flown five contract flights dispersing fire retardant chemical on wildfires for a total of 7.4 flight hours on the day of the accident. Upon completing his last flight about 1900, the pilot was overheard stating "we had a tough one today." He then laid his head down on the airplane's wing and said, "dang I'm tired." A second associate reported that the pilot had experienced difficulty completing the required end of day paperwork, making arithmetic errors during simple addition calculations. This associate thought the pilot was tired and "mentally exhausted." The pilot told this associate that he was going to spend the night in a local hotel, but instead he departed about 2022. The pilot requested and received VFR radar flight following service, and at no time did the pilot indicate he was experiencing any difficulties or request assistance. Following about an hour of cruise flight at 10,500 feet, during the last 19 seconds of radar-recorded flight, the airplane's average ground track changed from 241 degrees to 170 degrees, while its altitude increased from 10,900 to 11,000 feet. There were no further altitude readouts. The airplane broke apart in flight and impacted flat, desert terrain at an altitude of about 6,200 feet mean sea level. The right wing spar fractures were positive overload failures and evidence shows that it separated and impacted the right stabilizer, which also then separated.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 12,581 hours in all; 192 in this make and model
- Last flight review: March 1, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,429 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 20, 2002; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,700 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-185-11 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AEG Albuquerque NM at 3:22 am
- Destination: 10AZ Buckeye AZ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 260° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 3:54 am from SJN, 22 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.