Beech 35 accident near Sierraville, California, April 30, 1989
On April 30, 1989 at about 11:40 pm local time, a Beech 35, registered N3169V, was destroyed in an accident near Sierraville, California (Sierraville airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S ATTEMPT TO LAND DOWNWIND ON THE RUNWAY AND THE INABILITY TO ATTAIN A CLIMB AFTER ABORTING THE LANDING WHICH RESULTED IN A STALL AND UNCONTROLLED DESCENT INTO THE GROUND.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 30, 1989 · about 11:40 pm local time · cases in 1989
- Place
- Sierraville, California · Sierraville · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 35 · all 35s on the register
- Registration
- N3169V · no longer on the register · serial D-602
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT THE WINDS WERE OUT OF 210 DEGREES AT 12 KTS. A WITNESS OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT APPROACHING RUNWAY 03 LOW AND FAST. SHE STATED THAT THE MAIN GEAR HAD JUST TOUCHED DOWN ON THE RUNWAY WHEN A GUST OF WIND FROM THE RIGHT LIFTED THE RIGHT WING. THE PILOT PULLED THE NOSE UP IN WHAT APPEARED TO BE A GO AROUND, HOWEVER, THE WING STALLED AND CONTACTED THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT REPORTED ENCOUNTERING A SEVERE DOWNDRAFT WHILE ON FINAL APPROACH, ADDING FULL POWER AND ENCOUNTERING ANOTHER DOWNDRAFT BEFORE COLLIDING WITH THE RUNWAY.
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: 187 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 88 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 121 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,920 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 200 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-185-8 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 005 Davis CA at 10:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 3,260 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N3169V: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Beechcraft 35 Bonanza and Debonair 1,077 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Beechcraft 6 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental E-185-8 1,107 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Sierraville Dearwater Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,098 in the last ten years
- California 27,686 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX89LA176.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.