Beech A35 accident near Santa Rosa, California, June 27, 1987
On June 27, 1987 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Beech A35, registered N255B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Santa Rosa, California (Santa Rosa airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were 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
- June 27, 1987 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Santa Rosa, California · Santa Rosa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A35 · all A35s on the register
- Registration
- N255B · registry record · serial D-1570
- 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 PLT WAS PARTICIPATING IN A CAFE-400 (COMPARATIVE ACFT FLT EFFICIENCY) CONTEST OVER A 400 MI, ROUND ROBIN COURSE. WHILE DSCNDG FM 7000' AT THE END OF THE FLT, THE PLT SLOWED THE ACFT TO 140 MPH TO OBSERVE TRAFFIC. WHEN CLEAR, HE INCREASED THE SPEED TO 160 MPH & BGN A 500 FPM DSCNT. AT ABOUT THAT TIME, HE DETECTED A VIBRATION THAT INCREASED IN INTENSITY, THEN NOTICED THE SPEED HAD INCREASED TO 188 MPH. THE PLT REDUCED PWR, & AS THE ACFT SLOWED, THE VIBRATION STOPPED. THE ACFT WAS LNDD WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. A POST FLT EXAM REVEALED THE AFT FUSELAGE WAS WRINKLED & BUCKLED IN A 3 FT AREA, JUST FWD OF THE MAIN SPAR BULKHEAD FOR THE V-TAIL. THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF FLUTTER WHICH HAD RESULTED IN DYNAMIC OVERLOAD. AN INV REVEALED THE RUDDERVATORS WERE OUT OF BALANCE. THE ACFT WAS BEING OPERATED NR ITS MAX GROSS WT LIMIT WITH AN AFT LOADING, BUT IT WAS WITHIN THE WT & BALANCE LIMITS.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,100 hours in all; 4,879 in this make and model; 67 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 4,980 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,500 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 10, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-225-B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: O01 Santa Rosa CA at 7:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 7,000 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.