Beech 35 accident near Fillmore, Utah, October 9, 1985
On October 9, 1985 at about 4:20 pm local time, a Beech 35, registered N3339V, was destroyed in an accident near Fillmore, Utah (Fillmore airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. 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
- October 9, 1985 · about 4:20 pm local time
- Place
- Fillmore, Utah · Fillmore · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 35 · all 35s on the register
- Registration
- N3339V · no longer on the register · serial D-802
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT DEPARTED DELTA, UT ON A VFR X-C FLT AFTER BEING ADVISED BY FSS THAT VFR WAS NOT RECOMMENDED DUE TO IMC CONDITIONS ON THE PROPOSED ROUTE OF FLT. HE FLEW INTO AN AREA OF RISING TERRAIN, ENCOUNTERED IMC WX CONDITIONS, ATTEMPTED TO REVERSE COURSE AND COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN.
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: 160 hours in all; 160 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 120 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,816 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1984; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,250 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-185-11-8 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: DTA Delta CO at 3:45 pm
- Destination: L67 Rialto CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 7 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.