Beech BE-23-24 accident near Eureka, Utah, February 6, 1985
On February 6, 1985 at about 7:10 pm local time, a Beech BE-23-24, registered N5781V, was destroyed in an accident near Eureka, Utah. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- February 6, 1985 · about 7:10 pm local time
- Place
- Eureka, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech BE-23-24
- Registration
- N5781V · no longer on the register · serial MA-40
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON FEB 6, 1985,A BEECH BE-23-24 MUSKETEER,OWNED AND OPERATED BY THE PLT CRASHED INTO THE SIDE OF A 7000 FT MTN AT THE 6700 FT LEVEL. THE AC WAS DEMOLISHED AND THE PLT RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES. THE WX CONDITIONS WERE REPORTED AS VMC BY PROVO, UTAH AND BY A LOCAL PLT IN THE AREA AT THE TIME. BOTH INDICATED THAT THE MTN TOPS WERE OBSCURED BY CLOUDS. THE INVESTIGATION FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF AN AC MALFUNCTION OR PLT IN-CAPACITATION.
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: 791 hours in all; 791 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,083 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 15, 1984; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U42 West Jordan UT at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,500 ft; scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 21°F (-6°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:45 pm from PVU, 25 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.