Beech 35 accident near Three Rivers, California, September 4, 2020
On September 4, 2020 at about 6:48 pm local time, a 1970 Beech 35, registered N818S, was destroyed in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Three Rivers, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s controlled flight into terrain while operating in conditions of reduced visibility due to smoke.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 4, 2020 · about 6:48 pm local time
- Place
- Three Rivers, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 35 V35B, built 1970 · all 35s on the register
- Registration
- N818S · no longer on the register · serial D-9101
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and passenger departed on a visual flight rules cross-country flight into an area of reduced visibility due to wildfire smoke. An alert notice was issued when the airplane did not arrive at the destination, and the wreckage was located the following day in mountainous terrain at an elevation about 9,500 ft mean sea level. No anomalies were noted with the airplane during post-accident examination. Impact signatures and wreckage dispersion were consistent with the pilot’s controlled flight into terrain while operating in conditions of reduced visibility due to smoke.
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 enroute (cruise) defining event
- Other weather encounter during enroute (cruise)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Haze/smoke › Contributed to outcome
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 630 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 38,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,566 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 22, 2020
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: KVIS Visalia CA
- Destination: KEED Needles CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 11:45 am from PTV, 31 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
9 documents, released by the NTSB on July 7, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medical Factual Report | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Meteorology Factual Report | PDF, 28 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Examination - Field Notes | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 4 | National Park Service Report Extracts | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Afrcc Flight Path | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Photos | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.