Beech 35-P35 accident near Dayton, Tennessee, February 13, 2000
On February 13, 2000 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Beech 35-P35, registered N9796Y, was destroyed in an accident near Dayton, Tennessee (Mark Anton airport). 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 non-instrumented rated pilot elected to takeoff into known adverse weather conditions, which resulted in impact with rising terrain. Factors in this accident were, clouds and low ceilings.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 13, 2000 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Dayton, Tennessee · Mark Anton · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 35-P35 · all 35-P35s on the register
- Registration
- N9796Y · no longer on the register · serial D-7168
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of N9796Y called the Air Traffic Control Specialist at the Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS), for a weather briefing from Dayton, Tennessee, to the Fort Worth, Texas area, for a proposed flight that afternoon. The specialist's issued him a detailed synopsis with emphasis on forecast thunderstorms and IFR conditions. There were AIRMETS (Airman's Meteorological Information) for IFR conditions along the route of flight until 1800 UTC (1400). The specialist told the pilot that the system would take about 24 to 36 hours to clear, and the phone call ended. The pilot again called the AFSS, and he told the specialist that the flight would have to be 'VFR only......I'm...v f r I need to go v f r....' The pilot was issued the AIRMETS, conditions, and forecast information showing IFR conditions, and given a forecast for continued IFR. The specialist told the pilot that it was '...highly improbable (VFR).' According to a witness at the departure airport, who saw the airplane take off, and watched it disappear into the clouds, '...the ceiling appeared to be about 600 to 900 feet high.' Another witness about 3 miles from the crash site said when she saw the airplane it was flying 'low' as it came out of the clouds. She said the engine seemed to 'sound normal,' and the airplane was heading in a southwest direction. The witness said that at the time the weather was, '...overcast, foggy, misting rain.' A police officer that had responded to the reported crash site at 1311, said, 'due to the fog, the visibility was approximately 20 to 30 feet. According to local police records the airplane was found by a ground search at 1649. FAA records indicated that the pilot did not possess an instrument rating at the time of the accident. The pilot's personal logbook listing his flight hours was not recovered. Based on his last application for insurance, dated April 20, 1999, it was estimated that the pilot had about 1,207 hours of total flight time in all aircraft, and 36 hours in this make and model airplane, at the time of the application. The airplane impacted in a heavily wooded area, in rising terrain. The elevation at the crash site was about 1,910 feet mean sea level. The elevation at the departure airport was 855 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: 750 hours in all; 125 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 700 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 26, 1999
- Maximum gross weight: 3,125 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470N (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2A0
- Destination: Fort Worth TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 1.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 900 ft; clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from CHA, 40 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.