Beech V35A accident near Dove Creek, Colorado, June 6, 1984
On June 6, 1984 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Beech V35A, registered N7695N, was destroyed in an accident near Dove Creek, Colorado. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- June 6, 1984 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Dove Creek, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Beech V35A · all V35As on the register
- Registration
- N7695N · registry record · serial D-8870
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE EN ROUTE, THE PLT ENCOUNTERED HAZY WX AFTER CROSSING THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. NEAR MONTROSE, CO, HE DEVIATED ABOUT 50 MI NORTH TO AVOID ADVERSE WX. HE WAS UNABLE TO GET THRU, SO HE PROCEEDED BACK TO MONTROSE TO SKIRT THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF THE WX. HE STATED THAT NEAR DOVE CREEK 'A STORM MOVED IN' & THE WX 'STARTED LOOKING BAD.' HE INITIATED A CLIMB FROM 8500 FT MSL TO 12,500 FT MSL & WAS 'TRYING TO GET OUT OF THE AREA' WHEN SEVERE TURBULENCE WAS ENCOUNTERED. HE STATED THAT HE WAS CLIMBING THRU 11,500 AT 110 KTS WHEN 'ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE.' ACCORDING TO THE PLT, THE TURBULENCE FLIPPED THE ACFT INVERTED & FORCED IT INTO A CLOUD BANK. HE SAID THE ACFT WAS CARRIED DOWN & UP SEVERAL TIMES, LOSING & GAINING ABOUT 2000 FT EACH TIME. SUBSEQUENTLY, HE RECOVERED AT ABOUT 10,550 FT & AFTER APRX ANOTHER 30 SECONDS IN THE TURBULENCE, HE PROCEEDED TO HIS DESTINATION. AFTER LANDING SEVERAL 'RIPPLE' WERE FOUND IN THE WING SKIN. LATER, A MORE THOROUGH EXAM REVEALED EXTENSIVE INTERNAL DAMAGE.
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: 2,500 hours in all; 1,518 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 2,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,931 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 15, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1V5 Boulder CO at 1:30 pm
- Destination: PGA Page AZ
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,000 ft; scat at 600 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:40 pm from DRO, 50 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.