Beech J-35 accident near Pine Bluff, Arkansas, April 30, 1990
On April 30, 1990 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Beech J-35, registered N7242B, was destroyed in an accident near Pine Bluff, Arkansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
AIRCRAFT STALL, FROM WHICH RECOVERY WAS NOT ACHIEVED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 30, 1990 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pine Bluff, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech J-35 · all J-35s on the register
- Registration
- N7242B · no longer on the register · serial D5582
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PRIVATE PILOT WAS PRACTICING FOR HIS COMMERCIAL FLIGHT TEST, IN HIS OWN AIRPLANE. WHEN THE AIRPLANE DID NOT RETURN TO ITS DEPARTURE AIRPORT, A SEARCH WAS INITIATED. THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND 5 DAYS LATER IN A HEAVILY WOODED AREA. IT HAD IMPACTED IN A NEAR VERTICAL ATTITUDE. THERE WERE NO SIGNS OF PRE-IMPACT STRUCTURAL FAILURE. PRE-IMPACT CONTINUITY WAS ESTABLISHED BETWEEN THE FLIGHT CONTROLS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE SURFACES. THERE WERE NO INDICATIONS OF A PRE-IMPACT ENGINE PROBLEM. WEATHER 15 NM AWAY WAS VERY GOOD VMC, AND THERE IS NO REASON TO BELIEVE WEATHER MIGHT HAVE BEEN A FACTOR.
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: 955 hours in all; 47 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,434 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 27, 1989; 152 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 27 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:00 pm from PBF, 15 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.