# Accident 19981003045939A: Beech G35, Neah Bay, WA, October 3, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 3, 1998, 20:00 local time
- Place: Neah Bay, WA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Unknown/Not Reported
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 48.3309° N, 124.6299° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=48.3309&lon=-124.6299&mi=10
- Aircraft: N4479D, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4479D-2015-05-15) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Beech G35 (registry code 1151516, https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-g35) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental E225 series (registry code 17015, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-e225-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BEECH G35
- Reported engine: CONT E2258
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 260 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ANC99LA005](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC99LA005) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19981003045939A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(.19) TIP TANK FOUND FLOATING IN CLALUM BAY, NEAR NEAH BAY, WA ON 10/04/98. AIRCRAFT DEPARTED HAINES, ALASKA AT APPROXIMATELY 1300 ADT ON 10/03/98.  NO FLIGHT PLAN FILED.  NO INDICATION THAT FUEL STOPS WERE MADE. APPARENT FLIGHT DESTINATION WAS SEATTLE, WA.  FINAL TRIP DESTINATION WAS MICHIGAN.  AIRCRAFT REPORTED MISSING BY RELATIVES ON 10/14/98.  NO ADDITIONAL DEBRIS LOCATED.  (.4) THE CERTIFICATED PRIVATE PILOT DEPARTED A RURAL AIRPORT IN ALASKA ON A VFR CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT ALONG REMOTE, COASTAL TERRAIN, WITHOUT FILING A FLIGHT PLAN.  TEN DAYS LATER, THE AIRPLANE WAS REPORTED OVERDUE WHEN IT DID NOT ARRIVE AT A POSSIBLE INTERMEDIATE STOP IN THE SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, AREA, OR AT THE PILOT'S PLANNED DESTINATION IN MICHIGAN.  AFTER THE OVERDUE REPORT, COAST GUARD PERSONNEL IN ALASKA BEGAN TO GATHER DATA ABOUT THE AIRPLANE, PILOT, AND POSSIBLE ROUTES.  THEY WERE NOT AWARE THAT A WING MOUNTED AUXILIARY FUEL TANK HAD BEEN FOUND THE DAY AFTER THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED, IN THE PORT ANGELES, WASHINGTON, AREA.  ON THE DAY THE FUEL TANK WAS FOUND, COAST GUARD PERSONNEL FROM PORT ANGELES CONDUCTED A SEARCH FOR OTHER DEBRIS, BUT FOUND NONE.  SINCE THE PILOT DID NOT FILE A FLIGHT PLAN, COAST GUAR D AND FAA PERSONNEL IN THE SEATTLE AREA DID NOT HAVE ANY REPORTS OF OVERDUE AIRPLANES. AFTER THE AIRPLANE WAS REPORTED OVERDUE, FAA PERSONNEL IN ALASKA RECALLED A REPORT OF THE FUEL TANK BEING FOUND IN THE SEATTLE AREA.  THE MISSING AIRPLANE REPORT, AND THE FUEL TANK, WERE EVENTUALLY LINKED TOGETHER. FAMILY MEMBERS POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED THE FUEL TANK AS PART OF THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE.  THE PILOT IS PRESUMED TO HAVE RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES.  AFTER AN ADDITIONAL SEARCH, NO OTHER PARTS OF THE AIRPLANE HAVE BEEN LOCATED.  WEATHER DATA IN THE PORT ANGELES AREA ON THE PRESUMED DAY OF THE ACCIDENT, INCLUDED A WIDE AREA OF RAIN SHOWERS.                                       (-23) TIP TANK FOUND FLOATING IN CLALUM BAY, NEAR NEAH BAY, WA ON 10/04/98.AIRCRAFT DEPARTED HAINES, ALASKA AT APPROXIMATELY 1300 ADT ON 10/03/98. NO FLIGHT PLAN FILED. NO INDICATION THAT FUEL STOPS WERE MADE. APPARENT FLIGHT DESTINATION WAS SEATTLE, WA. FINAL TRIP DESTINATION WAS MICHIGAN. AIRCRAFT REPORTED MISSING BY RELATIVES ON 10/14/98. NO ADDITIONAL DEBRIS LOCATED.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ANC99LA005](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC99LA005), Oct 4, 1998: Beech G-35 (N4479D), Neah Bay, WA, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: Undetermined. Missing Aircraft.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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