Beech D18S accident near Huntington, West Virginia, September 25, 1985
On September 25, 1985 at about 9:37 am local time, a Beech D18S, registered N25Q, was destroyed in an accident near Huntington, West Virginia (Tri State Walker Long Fld airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 25, 1985 · about 9:37 am local time
- Place
- Huntington, West Virginia · Tri State Walker Long Fld · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech D18S · all D18Ss on the register
- Registration
- N25Q · registry record · serial A823
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CONTACTED THE TERRAIN WITH THE LEFT WING TIP, CARTWHEELED AND CAME TO REST INVERTED DURING AN ILS RWY 12 APCH AT HUNTINGTON (HTS). MINIMUM APCH VISIBILITY FOR THE ILS IS 3/4 OF A MILE. WHILE EN ROUTE THE PLT WAS INFORMED THE HTS VISIBILITY WAS 1/8 OF A MILE. A MISSED APCH WAS PERFORMED ON THE FIRST ILS. DURING THE MISSED APCH CLIMB THE TRANSPONDER CODE IN THE ACFT WAS CHANGED TO 7600. RADAR DATA INDICATED THAT AFTER THE 2ND ILS APCH, THE ACFT MADE A CLIMBING LEFT TURN. WHEN APRX 2 MILES SE OF THE ARPT, AT 2100 FT, THE ACFT MADE A SHARP RIGHT TURN. THE RADAR TARGET DISAPPEARED SHORTLY THEREAFTER. THE ACFT CONTACTED THE TERRAIN ON A HEADING OF 260 DEGS BETWEEN RWY 30 AND THE PARALLEL TAXIWAY.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,900 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 44 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 1,800 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,797 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 26, 1985; 73 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W R-985-14B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Transtar Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: IND Indianapolis IN at 7:55 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 12, 6,509 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 020° at 4 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:52 am from HTS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.