Beech C35 accident near Enterprise, Oregon, November 14, 2010
On November 14, 2010 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Beech C35, registered N747MT, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Enterprise, Oregon. 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
The noninstrumented pilot’s inadequate weather planning, which resulted in his failure to maintain visual flight while maneuvering under low ceilings in rainy and foggy conditions and his subsequent failure to maintain clearance from mountainous terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 14, 2010 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Enterprise, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech C35 · all C35s on the register
- Registration
- N747MT · no longer on the register · serial D-3092
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The noninstrumented pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight. Family members reported the airplane overdue, and it was located the next day in rough, mountainous terrain near the last radar target that matched the airplane's likely flightpath. The airplane initially impacted trees and then fragmented along the 80-yard-long wreckage distribution path. Instrument to marginal visual flight rules (VFR) conditions due to low ceilings prevailed around the accident site about the time of the accident. A tribal police officer who was patrolling in the area where the wreckage was located about the time of the accident reported that the weather conditions were windy, rainy, and foggy. The closest weather reporting station to the accident site reported a ceiling overcast about 400 feet above ground level. A series of airmen's meteorological informations were current for the region for instrument flight rules and mountain obscuration conditions. No evidence was found indicating that the pilot received any weather briefings before or during the accident flight; if a briefing from a flight service station had occurred, it likely would not have recommended VFR flight in the area. Data extracted from a handheld GPS onboard the accident airplane revealed that the airplane's flight track included numerous course changes, circles, and altitude changes consistent with a pilot attempting to maintain visual flight in marginal or instrument conditions. The pilot's toxicology report identified more than one benzodiazepine, including diazepam and nordiazepam, in the blood and liver; however, the levels were low. Therefore, the pilot was likely not impaired from the medication at the time of the accident.
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
What happened, in order
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during maneuvering defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Weather planning › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Fog › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Rain › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Mountainous/hilly terrain › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 790 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,266 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 12, 2009
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Teledyne Continental Motors E-225-8-20 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ALW Walla Walla WA at 5:30 pm
- Destination: 8S4 Enterprise OR
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,100 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 6:35 pm from KLDG, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.