Beech 35 accident near Spokane, Washington, August 1, 1996
On August 1, 1996, a Beech 35, registered N2839V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Spokane, Washington. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure (cracking) of the aft fuselage bulkhead for undetermined reason(s).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 1, 1996
- Place
- Spokane, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Beech 35 · all 35s on the register
- Registration
- N2839V · no longer on the register · serial D-244
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
About five minutes after takeoff, at 6,500 feet, the 1947 model airplane was cruising at 160 to 165 knots, when it encountered turbulence and experienced an airframe vibration. The pilot reduced airspeed, which eliminated the vibration, then he landed without further incident. Subsequent examination revealed that the fuselage station 256.9 bulkhead, located directly below the leading edge of the V-tail, was cracked at all four corners. Further investigation revealed that the airplane's ruddervators had been removed in 1995 for reskinning due to corrosion. Reskinning was accomplished with Beech factory replacement skins, and the ruddervators were then painted with several layers of paint. This necessitated the installation of an additional one-pound (lead) weight on the outboard tip of each ruddervator to achieve correct control surface balance. Also, the pilot stated that he could not be sure whether the station 256.9 bulkhead was damaged in flight, or when the ruddervator contacted a hangar support beam as the airplane was being pushed in a hangar.
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: 698 hours in all; 680 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,212 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 31, 1996; 56 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-185-11 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SFF WA
- Destination: 63S Colville WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N2839V the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.