Beech C35 accident near Lee Vining, California, February 19, 1996
On February 19, 1996 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Beech C35, registered N2PA, was destroyed in an accident near Lee Vining, California. 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
Fuel starvation due to the pilot's failure to adequate monitor the aircraft's fuel system and select a tank containing fuel in a timely manner. The pilot's failure to monitor the fuel system was due to the effects of hypoxia. Factors in the accident were the pilot's failure to obtain a preflight weather briefing, his inadequate preflight planning/in-flight decisions, and his lack of familiarity with the mountains.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 19, 1996 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Lee Vining, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech C35 · all C35s on the register
- Registration
- N2PA · registry record · serial D-3091
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
There was no evidence of a preflight weather briefing. Weather forecasts noted cloud bases and tops of 6,000 (less than 1,000 agl) and 25,000 feet, respectively. AIRMETS predicted mountain obscuration, moderate mixed icing conditions, and moderate to severe turbulence from the 7,000-foot freezing level to 26,000 feet. Winds aloft were out of the west at 65 to 70 knots over the mountains. About 1 hour into the flight the pilot air-filed an IFR flight plan and requested 13,000 feet. He was subsequently given 16,000 feet. 10 minutes later the pilot made the first of many subsequent requests for a clearance to a lower altitude. The controller responded that 16,000 feet was the lowest MVA for the next 60 miles or more. 2 hours and 22 minutes from departure the pilot declared an emergency due to an engine failure. The controllers provided vectors to the closest airport, which was behind the aircraft at 9 miles. The aircraft collided with a mountain at the 10,900-foot level. The pilot had only recently moved to the west coast and had limited experience flying over the Sierra Nevada Mountains. No oxygen tubes were found plugged into the cabin side wall regulator panel, and the main supply tank in the aircraft empennage was in the off position. The fuel selector was found selected to the left main tank. Hydraulic fuel cell bladder rupture and deformation to the surrounding containment structures was noted to the right main and fuselage auxiliary tanks. No such evidence was found to the left main tank bladder or surrounding structures. No evidence of preimpact malfunction or failure was found during examination of the engine. Review of the flight timing elements reveals that the pilot operated at msl altitudes above 12,000 feet in excess of 1 hour 50 minutes, with about 1 hour of that time spent between 15,000 and 16,000 feet. Section 8-1-2 of the AIM states in part that due to hypoxia pilot performance and judgment can seriously deteriorate within 15 minutes at 15,000 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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 603 hours in all; 530 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 513 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,556 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 18, 1995; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,700 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-225-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LAS Las Vegas NV at 6:50 pm
- Destination: OAK Oakland CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:59 pm from MMH, 28 miles away
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.