Beech B35 accident near Linden, California, October 27, 1982
On October 27, 1982 at about 3:37 am local time, a Beech B35, registered N5236C, was destroyed in an accident near Linden, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 27, 1982 · about 3:37 am local time
- Place
- Linden, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech B35 · all B35s on the register
- Registration
- N5236C · no longer on the register · serial D-2581
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT ENGINE LOST POWER DURING A NIGHT CROSS-COUNTRY.THE PILOT WAS FORCED TO LAND IN A GROVE OF YOUNG WALNUT TREES. THE AIRCRAFT HIT WITH ONE WING LOW AND SPUN AROUND. ALL MOTION STOPPED IN A VERY SHORT DISTANCE. AN EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT BOTH FUEL TANKS WERE EMPTY. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE LEFT FUEL GAUGE INDICATED THAT THE TANK WAS 1/3 FULL WHEN THE ENGINE LOST POWER.
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: 1,550 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 1,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,900 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-185-1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Bakersfield Air CA at 6:00 pm
- Destination: Modesto CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 129°F (54°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.