Beech N35 accident near Hanford, California, November 28, 1988
On November 28, 1988 at about 3:04 am local time, a Beech N35, registered N9469Y, was destroyed in an accident near Hanford, California (Hanford airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT FAILED TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE AND DESCENDED BELOW THE MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE WHILE EXECUTING THE MISSED APPROACH. CONTRIBUTING TO THIS ACCIDENT WAS THE DETERIORATING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND THE PILOT'S WISH TO RETURN THE AIRPLANE TO ITS HOME BASE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 28, 1988 · about 3:04 am local time
- Place
- Hanford, California · Hanford · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech N35 · all N35s on the register
- Registration
- N9469Y · no longer on the register · serial D6647
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT DECLARED A MISSED APCH DURING A VOR CIRCLING APCH TO THE PLT'S HOME ARPT. THE ACFT DESCENDED BELOW MIMIMUM DESCENT ALT, COLLIDED WITH A TELEPHONE CABLE AND CAME TO REST IN A COTTON FIELD APRX 1 MILE NORTHEAST OF THE ARPT. THE ACFT WAS IN THE LANDING CONFIGURATION AT IMPACT. THE WX WAS BELOW APCH MINIMUMS, 1/4 MILE VISIBILITY WITH FOG AND A 400 FOOT OBSCURED CEILING. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF A MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION.
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: 3,908 hours in all; 1,080 in this make and model; 121 in the last 90 days; 400 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,451 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 13, 1988; 151 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,125 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-N (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: OXR Oxnard CA at 1:54 am
- Destination: 018 Hanford CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.