Beech BE36 TC accident near Silver City, New Mexico, April 21, 1985
On April 21, 1985 at about 8:50 pm local time, a Beech BE36 TC, registered N6727V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Silver City, New Mexico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 5 others were unhurt. 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
- April 21, 1985 · about 8:50 pm local time
- Place
- Silver City, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 5 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech BE36 TC
- Registration
- N6727V · registry record · serial EA 376
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED DURING A WX ENCOUNTER NEAR SILVER CITY, NM. ICING AND TURBULENCE IN IFR CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME. THE PLT INITIATED A CLIMB FROM 15,000 FT TO 17,000 FT BECAUSE OF RIME ICE CONDITIONS. THE AUTOPILOT WAS USED DURING THE CLIMB. THE PLT LOOKED AT A CHART AND THE RADIO FREQUENCY. HE SAID THAT THE ACFT HIT SEVERE TURBULENCE AND BANKED OVER 80 DEGREES. IT IS BELIEVED THE ACFT ENTERED A SPLIT S MANEUVER. THE ACFT WAS RECOVERED AT 10,000 FT. NUMEROUS POSITIVE G'S WERE PULLED DURING THE RECOVERY. A PASSENGER SUSTAINED SERIOUS BACK INJURIES.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,685 hours in all; 46 in this make and model; 359 in the last 90 days; 2,350 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 387 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 22, 1985; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,850 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DUG Douglas AZ
- Destination: Albuquerque NM
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 240° at 25 knots, gusting 35
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft; not recorded at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 1:20 pm
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 4 |
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.