NTSB CAROL · Event
Event DEN92FA028
Registry · N3342V
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
BEECH 35
Year of manufacture
1947 · 45 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR E185 SERIES (205 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19550313
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A3A75D
Registrant of record
RICHARDS JAMES D
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
IMPROPER STATIC BALANCE OF THE RUDDERVATORS FOLLOWING REBUILDING/REPAINTING, WHICH RESULTED IN EMPENNAGE FLUTTER.
Factual narrative
FLUTTER OF THE EMPENNAGE OCCURRED DURING A CRUISE-DESCENT IN SMOOTH AIR. THIS RESULTED IN CRACKS IN ALL 4 CORNERS OF THE AFT FUSELAGE BULKHEAD AND WRINKLING OF THE FUSELAGE SKIN IN THE AREA OF THE RUDDERVATOR ATTACHMENT POINTS. THE LEFT RUDDERVATOR HAD BEEN INSTALLED ON THE AIRPLANE DURING AN ANNUAL INSPECTION SEVERAL WEEKS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT, AFTER IT WAS REMOVED TO HAVE NEW SKIN INSTALLED. THE SURFACE WAS REPAINTED, AND THE PAINT THICKNESS EXCEEDED THE MANUFACTURER'S FACTORY ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA. POST-ACCIDENT TESTING DISCLOSED THE STATIC BALANCE OF BOTH RUDDERVATORS TO BE EXCESSIVELY TAIL HEAVY. NO LEAD BALANCING WASHERS WERE FOUND IN EITHER RUDDERVATOR COUNTERWEIGHT HOUSING. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1992_DEN92FA028.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2022 · Journal article (JAAER)
SMS for Part 135 Commuter and On-Demand Operations - The Practitioner’s Perspective
On May 15th, 2017, N452DA, a Learjet 35A operated by Trans-Pacific Air Charter, LLC, departed from Philadelphia to Teterboro, New Jersey (TEB) on a positioning flight under 14 Code of Federal Regulati…
- NTSB Aircraft Accident Reports 2021 · Accident report
Crash of Atlas Air Flight 3591, Boeing 767-300 (N1217A)
Atlas Air 3591 crashed into Trinity Bay, Texas, February 23, 2019. Investigation of the in-flight loss-of-control crash of Atlas Air 3591 into Trinity Bay, Texas.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2025 · Journal article (JAAER)
Editor's Note: Celebrating 35 Years of Scholarly Excellence
A letter from the editor, Dr. Dahai Liu, on the JAAER's 35th anniversary.
- NASA NTRS 2024 · Presentation
Part 135 and Business Operator Low Altitude Events: An Analysis of ASRS Reports
This presentation provides an aviation SME's human factors analysis of selected Low Altitude and Controlled Flight Towards Terrain (CFTT) events involving Part 135 and business jet operators as report…
- NASA NTRS 2022 · Conference Paper
The In-time Aviation Safety Management System Concept for Part 135 Operators
Transformations of the National Airspace System, such as envisioned with Advanced Air Mobility, will enable improvements for managing and assuring safety for Part 135 transportation of passengers and …
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2020 · Journal article (IJAAA)
Analysis of Part 135 Aircraft Accidents to Facilitate Flight Data Monitoring
The scheduled and on-demand air services with Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 135 certificate are operating with relatively less stringent safety program criteria compared to Part 121 …
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