Beech 100 accident near Windsor, Massachusetts, December 10, 1986
On December 10, 1986 at about 2:45 pm local time, a Beech 100, registered N65TD, was destroyed in an accident near Windsor, Massachusetts (Pittsfield). It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 6 people were 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
- December 10, 1986 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Windsor, Massachusetts · Pittsfield
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 6 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 100 · all 100s on the register
- Registration
- N65TD · registry record · serial B-50
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DRG ARR FOR A LOC RWY 26 APCH, THE PLT WAS ADZD THE ABYSS FAN MARKER WAS NOTAMED OUT-OF-SVC. WITH ABYSS INOP, MIN DSCNT ALT (MDA) WAS 2200'. AFTER N65TD WAS CLRD FOR THE APCH, RADAR SVC WAS TERMINATED & THE FLT WAS CLRD TO ADZY FREQ. THE CREW CONTACTED UNICOM & OBTAINED ARPT & WX ADZY. UNICOM OPERATOR ADZD WINDS LGT & VRBL, ESTD 800' OVERCAST, VIS 5 MI, SLUSH & ICE RPRTD ON RWY 1/2 HR EARLIER. AFTER THE CREW RPRTD 'PROCEDURE TURN INBND,' NO FURTHER TRANSMISSIONS WERE RECDFM THE ACFT. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT HIT TREES ON RISING TRRN AT AN ELEV OF APRX 2200', APRX 7 MI BFR REACHING THE FINAL APCH FIX (FAF, DALTON NDB). MIN ALT FOR THE APCH IN THAT AREA WAS 3000'. NO PREIMPACT PART PRBLMS WERE FND DRG THE INV. WIT- NESSES RPRTD THE ENGS SOUNDED NORMAL BFR IMPACT; MTN TOPS WERE OBSCD. ARPT ELEV WAS 1194'. RADIO TRANSCRIPTS INDCD THE CREW WERE GETTING A WEAK SIGNAL FM THE DALTON NDB. ALTHO NOT A REQD NAVAID, CHESTER VORTAC WAS DEPICTED ON THE APCH CHART AS AN ADNL SOURCE TO ID THE FAF, BUT WAS NOTAMED AS OUT-OF-SVC. THE PLT DID NOT OBTAIN NOTAMS BFR FLT.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,520 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 160 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 7,325 as pilot in command; 3,570 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,710 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, October 22, 1986; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,600 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-28 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 21G Elyria OH at 1:20 pm
- Destination: PSF Pittsfield MA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 26, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:00 pm from PSF, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.