Stinson 108-1 accident near Beulah, North Dakota, November 30, 1985
On November 30, 1985 at about 11:45 pm local time, a Stinson 108-1, registered N8143K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Beulah, North Dakota (Beulah airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 30, 1985 · about 11:45 pm local time · cases in 1985
- Place
- Beulah, North Dakota · Beulah · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Stinson 108-1 · all 108-1s on the register
- Registration
- N8143K · registry record · serial 108-1143
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A LANDING AT DUSK ON A SNOW COVERED RWY, THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED DEEP SNOW AND NOSED OVER ONTO ITS BACK. THE PLT STATED THAT AFTER TOUCHDOWN, HE REALIZED THAT THERE WAS APRX ONE FT OF SNOW ON THE RWY AND WAS UNABLE TO MAKE A GO-AROUND.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,809 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 110 in the last 90 days; 1,136 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,637 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 10, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 2,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-435A-1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BIS Bismark ND at 10:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 3,500 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 359° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: -8°F (-22°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N8143K on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Stinson 108 Voyager and Station Wagon 1,270 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Stinson 1,730 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-435A-1 135 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Beulah Airport · nearest airport
- Bismarck Municipal · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in North Dakota 581 since 1982 · 59 in the last ten years
- North Dakota 2,495 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN86LA035.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.