Beech 95 accident near Shell Knob, Missouri, April 29, 1988
On April 29, 1988 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Beech 95, registered N635B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Shell Knob, Missouri (Shell Knob airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 29, 1988 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Shell Knob, Missouri · Shell Knob · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 95 · all 95s on the register
- Registration
- N635B · registry record · serial TD354
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT OF THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT FAILED TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL DURING THE LANDING ROLL. THE LEFT WING OF THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK TREES ALONG THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. AIRCRAFT CONTROL WAS LOST RESULTING IN THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSING.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,365 hours in all; 1,012 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 1,313 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,100 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 15, 1988; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Vantage Industries INC
The flight
- Departed from: CPS East St.Louis IL at 2:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 3,750 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.