Beech V-35 accident near Shaver Lake, California, November 12, 1993
On November 12, 1993 at about 7:17 pm local time, a Beech V-35, registered N630AW, was destroyed in an accident near Shaver Lake, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An in-flight breakup of the airplane following the pilot's continued VFR flight into IMC conditions during which directional control of the airplane was not maintained, and the design limits of the airplane were exceeded. The pilot's inadequate evaluation of the weather conditions that consisted of mountain wave activity and standing lenticular clouds were factors in the accident.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 12, 1993 · about 7:17 pm local time
- Place
- Shaver Lake, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech V-35 · all V-35s on the register
- Registration
- N630AW · no longer on the register · serial D-8500
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT, THE AIRCRAFT CROSSED HIGH MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN WHERE AREAS OF RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS WERE REPORTED. AIRMETS HAD BEEN ISSUED FOR TURBULENCE, MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION, AND ICING CONDITIONS. SATELLITE IMAGES REVEALED THE PRESENCE OF STANDING LENTICULAR CLOUDS. A WEATHER BRIEFING WAS NOT OBTAINED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. NO VOICE COMMUNICATIONS WERE RECEIVED FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND NO IN-FLIGHT SERVICES WERE BEING PROVIDED BY THE FAA. RADAR DATA INDICATED THAT THE AIRPLANE MADE SEVERAL MANEUVERING TURNS AND A RAPID DESCENT BEFORE RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST. THE AIRPLANE EXPERIENCED AN IN-FLIGHT BREAKUP AND WAS SCATTERED OVER A 3/4-MILE AREA. A TRAJECTORY STUDY INDICATED THAT THE LOCATION OF THE SEPARATED AIRPLANE COMPONENTS WAS CONSISTENT WITH A BREAKUP ALTITUDE OF 14,000 FEET.
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: 136 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,208 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 5, 1992; 76 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BA (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RHV San Jose CA at 5:51 pm
- Destination: L06 Death Valley CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft; not recorded at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:47 pm from MMH, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.