Beechcraft V35B accident near Selma, California, January 18, 2008
On January 18, 2008 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Beechcraft V35B, registered N4662M, was substantially damaged in an accident during uncontrolled descent near Selma, California (Fresno Chandler Executive airport). 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 failure to maintain control resulting in the in-flight break-up of the airplane due to aerodynamic overload. Contributing factors included the pilot's impairment due to multiple medical conditions and due to recent use of alcohol.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 18, 2008 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Selma, California · Fresno Chandler Executive · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beechcraft V35B · all V35Bs on the register
- Registration
- N4662M · no longer on the register · serial D-10125
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was on an IFR cross-country flight in clear VFR conditions. The radar track was consistent with the flight's ATC clearance to the south-southeast in a steady 900-foot-per-minute climb. About 4 minutes after departure the pilot requested to leave the frequency for 1 minute, which the controller approved. The airplane vanished from radar 4 minutes later and entered a 5,400-foot-per-minute or greater rate of descent. A witness saw the airplane "disintegrate" in flight. The airplane wreckage was distributed along a 1,541-foot-long north-south debris field in the vicinity of the last radar return. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any evidence of a pre-existing airframe, engine, or flight control anomaly. The pilot had a history of episodic incapacitating pain, diabetes requiring insulin, the use of multiple potentially impairing medications, and a history of alcohol abuse. The pilot had not noted the pain, the diabetes, or the medications used to treat these conditions on his most recent application for airman medical certificate. The pilot's FAA medical records did note a history of driving while intoxicated in 1992, but the FAA had not requested any additional details surrounding the pilot's alcohol use. The pilot had been drinking alcohol within hours of the flight, and the forensic toxicology report was consistent with a blood alcohol level of approximately 0.07 percent at the time of the accident, sufficient to have resulted in impairment. The toxicology report also was consistent with the use of multiple prescription medications that are potentially impairing, but no blood was available for evaluation and it was therefore not possible to estimate when the medications might have been most recently used or whether the pilot may have been impaired by the medication use or by interactions between those medications and/or alcohol.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during enroute (cruise)
- Aircraft structural failure during uncontrolled descent defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › (general) › (general) › Failure
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- factor Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › Illness/injury › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › Alcohol › Pilot
- Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Oversight › Oversight of personnel › FAA/Regulator
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all
- Last flight review: April 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,931 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 3,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Teledyne Continental IO-520-BA14 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KFHC Fresno Chandler CA at 9:50 pm
- Destination: KMYF San Diego CA
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from KFAT, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.