Beech S35 accident near Lake City, Florida, September 27, 2006
On September 27, 2006 at about 8:20 pm local time, a Beech S35, registered N5852S, was destroyed in an accident near Lake City, Florida (Lake City Airpark airport). 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
A loss of control during an unintentional takeoff for an undetermined reason.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 27, 2006 · about 8:20 pm local time
- Place
- Lake City, Florida · Lake City Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech S35 · all S35s on the register
- Registration
- N5852S · no longer on the register · serial D-7747
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The evening prior to the accident, the pilot introduced a mixture of hydraulic fluid and lacquer thinner into the engine to free up some "stuck valves." The following morning, he taxied the airplane to the grass runway on the airpark where he lived. He performed a lengthy runup and unintentionally became airborne, shortly after which the airplane rolled to the right and struck trees prior to impacting the ground. He had been treated for a number of ongoing medical issues, and did not have a current medical certificate, He had high blood pressure, recent evidence of some previous asymptomatic strokes, had recently complained of persistent knee pain following a right knee replacement, and was on a blood thinner. The pilot may have been unable to maintain control of the aircraft during the engine run-up due to knee pain or may have suffered a sudden hemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke into the brain, made considerably more likely by his age, his high blood pressure and his continued use of a blood thinner.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 26,000 hours in all; 148 in this make and model
- Last flight review: March 1, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,978.9 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-550-B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: FL27 Lake City FL at 8:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 3,175 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 8:56 pm from LCQ, 9 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.