Beech P-35 accident near Rogersville, Tennessee, January 16, 2000
On January 16, 2000 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Beech P-35, registered N9740Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rogersville, Tennessee. 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 improper in-flight planning/decision and continued visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) that resulted in an in-flight collision with terrain and subsequent damage to the aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 16, 2000 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Rogersville, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech P-35 · all P-35s on the register
- Registration
- N9740Y · no longer on the register · serial D-7134
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
At 1532, the pilot of N9740Y departed on a visual flight rules (VFR) flight, and during the flight he had been receiving VFR flight following. According to the FAA transcript of communications, the pilot had twice requested progressively lower altitudes to maintain VFR. The controller approved the second request for a lower altitude, but told the pilot that at that altitude Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) might not be able to maintain radar contact with his aircraft at that low an altitude. The pilot's third request was for 7,500 feet to avoid turbulence, and at 1619 the pilot changed his destination from Tri-cities Regional Airport to Hawkins County Airport. At 1622:39 the pilot reported to that he was descending out of five thousand three hundred feet. The controller acknowledged, providing the local altimeter setting for the nearest weather reporting station, the Tri-Cities Airport. At 1622:50 the pilot acknowledged the Tri-cities altimeter setting, stating, 'three zero two six roger.' At 1628.26 the controller said, 'niner seven four zero yankee radar contact lost squawk one two zero zero cleared to advisory frequency good afternoon'. The controller made one last transmission at 1628:26, saying 'niner seven four zero yankee Atlanta.' There were no further communications with the pilot of N9740Y. N9740Y struck Clinch mountain, about 6.7 miles northwest of Hawkins County Airport, in a level flight attitude, as indicated by the freshly cut trees, at an altitude of about 2,350 feet, about 50 feet below the 2,400-foot elevation. At the time of the accident, the Tri-Cities Regional Airport was reporting a ceiling of 1,300 feet overcast. Witnesses at Hawkins County Airport stated that the ceiling and visibility had been both low at Hawkins County Airport, and the airport had been closed due to the weather. The pilot held a private pilot airplane single engine land certificate, with no instrument rating.
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: 700 hours in all; 400 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,517 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 14, 1999; 68 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,125 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-N (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LOU Louisville KY at 10:00 pm
- Destination: RVN TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,300 ft; clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from TRI, 6 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.
Other NTSB records under N9740Y the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.