Beech V35B accident near Independence, California, July 28, 2006
On July 28, 2006 at about 10:27 pm local time, a Beech V35B, registered N346D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Independence, California (Independence airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadequate preflight and in-flight planning regarding the selection of the altitude and route of flight, which resulted in a collision with terrain in a box canyon after encountering mountain wave.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 28, 2006 · about 10:27 pm local time
- Place
- Independence, California · Independence · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech V35B · all V35Bs on the register
- Registration
- N346D · registry record · serial D-10108
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane collided with terrain in a box canyon during the en route climb. The planned route of flight was westbound over the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The pilot indicated that downdrafts from a mountain wave prevented the airplane from climbing. The airplane was in a box canyon, and she had no room to turn toward lower terrain. The pilot landed the airplane in a clearing near a road. The airplane sustained substantial damage in the rough terrain.
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: 1,245 hours in all; 1,165 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: March 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,545 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2006; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2O7 Independence CA at 10:10 pm
- Destination: MAE Madera CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from BIH, 37 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.