Beech G35 accident near Missing, December 3, 1997
On December 3, 1997 at about 2:42 pm local time, a Beech G35, registered N4404D, was destroyed in an accident near Missing. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
undetermined.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 3, 1997 · about 2:42 pm local time
- Place
- Missing
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Beech G35 · all G35s on the register
- Registration
- N4404D · no longer on the register · serial D-4632
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was initially on a VFR flight from Crestview, Florida, to New Orleans, Louisiana, and had requested flight following from Gulfport Approach Control. The pilot encountered weather, requested and received an IFR clearance and vectors around the weather. The airplane disappeared from radar after the pilot acknowledged the IFR clearance. The airplane is missing and is presumed destroyed. The private pilot is missing and is presumed to be fatally injured. The passenger's body was located on 2/16/98, in the Gulf of Mexico.
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: 425 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,775 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E225-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CEW Crestview FL
- Destination: NEW New Orleans LA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 8 knots
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:47 pm from GPT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.