Beech C23 accident near Clarksburg, West Virginia, August 24, 1985
On August 24, 1985 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Beech C23, registered N6975R, was destroyed in an accident near Clarksburg, West Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. 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
- August 24, 1985 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Clarksburg, West Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech C23 · all C23s on the register
- Registration
- N6975R · no longer on the register · serial M-1586
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT RAN INTO LESS THAN VFR WEATHER AND TURNED AROUND AND ATTEMPTED TO MAKE AN AIRPORT. HE BECAME BOXED IN BY WEATHER ALL AROUND AND ATTEMPTED TO LAND ON THE HIGHWAY. HE DID NOT MAKE A PSS OVER HIS INTENDED LANDING AREA. WHEN HE WAS ON SHORT FINAL, A CAR PULLED OUT OF A SIDE ROAD AHEAD OF HIM. HE PULLED UP AND HIT SOME POWER TRANSMISSION LINES WITH THE RIGHT WING. HE CRASH LANDED ON THE ROAD AND SLID INTO THE GUARD RAIL. THE ARCRAFT CAUGHT FIRE AND WAS DESTROYED.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 141 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 121 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,581 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 5, 1985; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4J (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 4G7 Fairmont WV at 4:45 pm
- Destination: 3G6 Canton OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from CKB, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.