Beech P35 accident near Near Dove Creek, Colorado, December 25, 1983
On December 25, 1983 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Beech P35, registered N8675M, was destroyed in an accident near Near Dove Creek, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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
- December 25, 1983 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Near Dove Creek, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech P35 · all P35s on the register
- Registration
- N8675M · no longer on the register · serial D7296
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN ABOUT 30 MILES NORTHWEST OF CORTEZ CO. THE PLT WAS ON AN IFR FLT PLAN AND HAD BEEN ADVISED BEFORE FLT OF HAZARDOUS ICING CONDITIONS ENROUTE. WHEN THE ACFT ICED UP THE PLT REVERSED COURSE AND EVEN THOUGH DESCENDING BELOW MEA HE MANAGED TO STAY CLEAR OF THE TERRAIN UNTIL HE TURNED SOUTHEAST TOWARD CORTEZ OVER HIGHER TERRAIN. HE WAS OUT OF DIRECT RADIO CONTACT WITH DENVER CENTER BECAUSE OF HIS ALTITUDE. DENVER WAS ABLE TO RELAY THROUGH AN AIRLINER UNTIL ALL CONTACT WAS LOST AT 0927 MST. A SEARCH WAS INITIATED AND BY ELT HELP THE ACFT WASLOCATED 3 HOURS AFTER RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST. THE PLTS HANDBOOK FOR THE BEECH 35 STATED: 'WARNING, FLT IN KNOWN ICING CONDITIONS PROHIBITED'. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THAT THE ACFT IMPACTED TALL PINE TREES IN A WINGS LEVEL 10-15 DEG NOSE LOW ATTITUDE. THE ACFT CAME TO FINAL REST IN A DENSELY FORESTED SNOW COVERED AREA BETWEEN 2 LARGE PINE TREES. SHOULDER HARNESSES WERE NOT INSTALLED IN THE ACFT.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 649 hours in all; 239 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 526 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,737 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 5, 1983; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,125 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-N (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SDL Scottsdale AZ
- Destination: GUC Gunnison CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft; scat at 1,800 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from CE2, 20 miles away
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.