Beech V35A accident near Sioux Falls, South Dakota, February 16, 1983
On February 16, 1983 at about 1:55 am local time, a Beech V35A, registered N8478N, was destroyed in an accident near Sioux Falls, South Dakota (Joe Foss Field). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries. 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
- February 16, 1983 · about 1:55 am local time
- Place
- Sioux Falls, South Dakota · Joe Foss Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech V35A · all V35As on the register
- Registration
- N8478N · registry record · serial D-8805
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING AN ILS APPROACH TO RWY 3 THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH 50 FT POWERLINES 3 MI SW OF THE ARPT. THE ACFT THEN COLLIDED WITHA MOBILE HOME & PICKUP TRUCK. HALF OF THE 60 FT MOBILE HOME & THE TRUCK WERE DESTROYED. MINIMUM ALTITUDE AT THE LIM, LOCATED 5.2 MI FROM THE MM, IS 3,334 FT MSL. MINIMUM ALTITUDE AT MAREY INTERSECTION, LOCATED 0.9 MI FROM THE MM, IS 1,900 FT MSL. GROUND ELEVATION AT THE WRECKAGE SITE WAS 1,420 FT MSL.
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: 4,000 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,062 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 6, 1983; 47 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental I0520-BA2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Y19 Nandam ND
- Destination: FSD Sioux Falls SD
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 3, 8,999 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:00 am from FSD, 38 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.