Beech D-45 (T-34) accident near Bedford, Illinois, November 12, 1984
On November 12, 1984 at about 10:10 pm local time, a Beech D-45 (T-34), registered N5543, was destroyed in an accident near Bedford, Illinois. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- November 12, 1984 · about 10:10 pm local time
- Place
- Bedford, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech D-45 (T-34) D-45 (T-34 · all D-45 (T-34)s on the register
- Registration
- N5543 · no longer on the register · serial BG405
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT DURING FLT, HE PROCEEDED TO FLY ALONG A RIVER. AFTER A TIME, HE REVERSED COURSE & BEGAN FLYING ALONG THE RIVER IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. HE SAID THAT THE FLT BACK WAS AT A LOWER ALT & THAT THE PROPELLER CONTACTED SOMETHING IN THE WATER. A SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF THRUST OCCURRED. THE PLT WAS ABLE TO MAKE A FORCED LANDING IN A BEAN FIELD, BUT DURING THE LANDING, THE ACFT CONTACTED A DITCH.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,534 hours in all; 419 in this make and model; 39 in the last 90 days; 1,443 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,410 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 30, 1984; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,985 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-13 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PPQ Pittsfield IL at 10:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from UIN, 30 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.
Other NTSB records under N5543 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.