Beech V35B accident near Lake Tahoe, California, December 7, 1996
On December 7, 1996 at about 7:21 pm local time, a Beech V35B, registered N6056M, was destroyed in an accident near Lake Tahoe, 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
the pilot's intentional flight into adverse weather and improper in-flight planning and decision making.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 7, 1996 · about 7:21 pm local time
- Place
- Lake Tahoe, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech V35B · all V35Bs on the register
- Registration
- N6056M · no longer on the register · serial D-10240
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was advised of moderate turbulence below 18,000 feet msl, with a freezing level reported to be 9,300 feet and rime icing expected. En route the pilot changed his destination to Lake Tahoe instead of Truckee. He was requested to hold at the Squaw Valley VOR at 13,000 feet and to expect a clearance into Lake Tahoe. The pilot stated that he was in rime icing and requested 12,000 and, unable to hold at 12,000 feet, requested 11,000 feet. He was given a heading change and requested to maintain 11,000 feet. He then requested a 180-degree turn and later reported that he was now out of the clouds and in the clear, but he had a lot of ice. He then stated 'we're declaring an emergency I'm going down.' ATC provided the pilot with a heading change to which he acknowledged. That was the last communication with the pilot.
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: 1,450 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,436 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 18, 1996
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BB (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CA35 Smith Ranch CA
- Destination: TRK Truckee CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 12 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:47 pm from TVL
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.