Beech K35 accident near Bakersfield, California, October 15, 1986
On October 15, 1986 at about 3:05 pm local time, a Beech K35, registered N107Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bakersfield, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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 15, 1986 · about 3:05 pm local time
- Place
- Bakersfield, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech K35 · all K35s on the register
- Registration
- N107Q · no longer on the register · serial D-5929
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT WAS IN LEVEL CRUISE AT AN ALTITUDE OF 3,500 FEET WHEN THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH. A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING WAS MADE. AS THE AIRCRAFT WAS TOUCHING DOWN, TOWER PERSONNEL NOTIFIED THE PILOT THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON FIRE. THE PILOT EVACUATED THE AIRCRAFT AND AIRPORT FIRE EQUIPMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE THREE CYLINDERS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ENGINE HAD NOT BEEN PROPERLY SECURED DURING THE RECENT ENGINE OVERHAUL. THE FUEL PRESSURE LINE HAD BURNED AWAY AND REDIRECTED FUEL TO THE INSIDE OF THE ENGINE COWLING. THE AIRCRAFT HAD FLOWN A TOTAL OF THREE HOURS SINCE THE INSTALLATION OF THE OVERHAULED ENGINE.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 413 hours in all; 23 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days; 59 in the last 30 days; 313 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,669 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 13, 1986; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RHV San Jose CA at 12:30 pm
- Destination: YUM Yuma AZ
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from BFL
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.