Beech 35-B33 accident near Columbia Falls, Montana, December 6, 1985
On December 6, 1985 at about 4:30 am local time, a Beech 35-B33, registered N5637K, was destroyed in an accident near Columbia Falls, Montana (Glacier Park Intl airport). It was a business 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 6, 1985 · about 4:30 am local time
- Place
- Columbia Falls, Montana · Glacier Park Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 35-B33 · all 35-B33s on the register
- Registration
- N5637K · no longer on the register · serial CD-753
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CONTACTED SNOW COVERED TERRAIN IN AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT APRX 3 MINUTES AFTER TAKEOFF. THE PLT OBTAINED A WX BRIEFING FROM KALISPELL, MT, NWS AND UPDATED BRIEFINGS FROM MISSOULA AND GREAT FALLS, MT, FSS, FOR PROPOSED NIGHT VFR FLT TO OGDEN, UT. VFR FLT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. KALISPELL WX WAS SKY PARTIALLY OBSCURED, MEASURED CEILING 100 FT OVERCAST, VISIBILITY 2 MILES WITH FOG. THE PLT ASKED FOR A SPECIAL VFR CLEARANCE TO OGDEN. THE CONTROLLER ASKED IF HE WANTED 'FLIGHT FOLLOWING ALL THE WAY.' THE PLT ANSWERED AFFIRMATIVELY. THE PLT WAS NEVER GIVEN A SPECIAL VFR CLEARANCE. RADAR SHOWS THE ACFT TAKING OFF AT ABOUT 2128 MST. LAST CONTACT WAS AT 2130 MST. THE PLT WAS NOT INSTRUMENT RATED.
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: 465 hours in all; 450 in this make and model; 105 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 377 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,915 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 10, 1985; 239 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: OGD Ogden UT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 1, 8,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.