- Date
- May 11, 1988, 00:00 local (07:00 UTC)
- Place
- Ocotillo, CA
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8875ABeech B-35
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 9, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880511046449A
- Case key
- 25868
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Inflight collision with terrain for undetermined reasons.
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 aircraft disappeared on may 11, 1988, while on a presumed local personal flight. Four individuals were seen to board the aircraft, including the owner. Only two persons could be identified on the basis of fragmentary remains at the site, neither of which was the aircraft owner. The partially buried aircraft was found in a desert dry wash on oct 16, 1988, no ground scars were found in the wash where heavy water activity was present. The aircraft was almost totally consumed by fire. No preimact malfunctions or failures were identified.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8875A
- Reported as
- Beech B-35
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- D-2530
- Airframe hours
- 3,837
- Engine
- Continental E-185-11, 185 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Peters, Terry R.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 12, 1987 · 70 hours before
- Departed
- L54 · Agua Caliente, CA
- Destination
- L54
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
- 41
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total · 150 in this make and model · 2,700 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 102 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- NXP, 17 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N8875A · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.