# Accident 20020411017189A: Beech G35, Willows, CA, April 11, 2002

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 11, 2002, 10:00 local time
- Place: Willows, CA
- Damage: No damage
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.5356° N, 122.3189° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.5356&lon=-122.3189&mi=10
- Aircraft: N4487D, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4487D-2002-09-05) (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
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX02FA134](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX02FA134) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020411017189A

## Narrative

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

(-23) THE PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER WERE FATALLY INJURED WHEN THE AIRCRAFT BROKE UP IN FLIGHT 4 MILES WEST OF WILLOWS CA. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM RED BLUFF AREA AT APPROXIMATELY 0930 LOCAL TIME. THE FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED UNDER CFR PART 91, IN VFR WEATHER CONDITIONS. ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE AIRCRAFT WAS SEEN APPROACHING THE THUNDERHILL PARK AREA FROM THE SOUTHWEST AT APPROXIMATELY 1500 FEET AGL AND AT "FASTER THAN USUAL" RATE OF SPEED. THE AIRPLANE "BANKED SHARPLY" AND BEGAN TO CIRCLE THE PARK. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, A WITNESS STATED "THE TAIL OF THE AIRPLANE BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY UP AND DOWN SEVERAL TIMES." ONE WITNESS HEARD A "LOUD POP" JUST PRIOR TO SEEING THE TAIL SEPARATE FROM THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED OVER, THE LEFT WING AND ENGINE SEPARATED, AND THE AIRCRAFT SPIRALED TO THE GROUND EJECTING THE PASSENGER, ENDING UPSIDE DOWN IN A HAY FIELD.

## 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 LAX02FA134](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX02FA134), Apr 11, 2002: Beech G35 (N4487D), Willows, CA, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: the pilot's entry into an abrupt maneuver at an excessive airspeed beyond Va, which resulted in exceeding the aircraft's design stress limits.

## Other reports on N4487D (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 19830925067309I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19830925067309I), Sep 25, 1983: Beech G35 (N4487D), Corona, CA, Minor damage. Aborted takeoff due to partial power. Engine surged on taxiing. Airplane struck a hanger. Throttle bolt was missing

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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