- Date
- June 27, 1987, 14:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Santa Rosa, CA
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N255BBeech A35
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 8, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870627032119A
- Case key
- 25625
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The plt was participating in a cafe-400 (comparative acft flt efficiency) contest over a 400 mi, round robin course. While dscndg fm 7000' at the end of the flt, the plt slowed the acft to 140 mph to observe traffic. When clear, he increased the speed to 160 mph & bgn a 500 fpm dscnt. At about that time, he detected a vibration that increased in intensity, then noticed the speed had increased to 188 mph. The plt reduced pwr, & as the acft slowed, the vibration stopped. The acft was lndd without further incident. A post flt exam revealed the aft fuselage was wrinkled & buckled in a 3 ft area, just fwd of the main spar bulkhead for the v-tail. There was evidence of flutter which had resulted in dynamic overload. An inv revealed the ruddervators were out of balance. The acft was being operated nr its max gross wt limit with an aft loading, but it was within the wt & balance limits.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N255B
- Reported as
- Beech A35
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- D-1570
- Airframe hours
- 6,500
- Engine
- Continental E-225-B, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- George A. Loegering
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 10, 1986
- Departed
- O01 · Santa Rosa, CA
- Airport
- 001 · Santa Rosa, runway 16, 7,000 × 200 ft, concrete
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 51
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,100 total · 4,879 in this make and model · 4,980 as pilot in command · 67 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.