Beech V-35B accident near Wibaux, Montana, December 18, 1985
On December 18, 1985 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Beech V-35B, registered N24198, was destroyed in an accident near Wibaux, Montana. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- December 18, 1985 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Wibaux, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech V-35B · all V-35Bs on the register
- Registration
- N24198 · no longer on the register · serial D10112
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT LIGHT SNOW WAS FALLING AT THE ARPT AT THE TIME OF DEPARTURE. THE PAX STATED AFTER THE ACCIDENT THAT THE PLT ENCOUNTERED CLOUDS AT THEIR CRUISE ALT OF ABOUT 6000 FT. HE CONTINUED TO STATE THAT THE ACFT MADE A SHALLOW DESCENT AT FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH THE CLOUDS BUT BECAME VERY STEEP SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE DESCENT. THE ACFT BROKE OUT OF THE CLOUDS AND IMPACTED THE SNOW COVERED FIELD AT A HIGH RATE OF DESCENT AND AIRSPEED. THE PLT DID NOT PERFORM A PREFLIGHT INSPECTION OF THE ACFT, HE DID NOT DEICE THE ACFT PRIOR TO DEPARTURE AND HE DOES NOT HOLD AN INSTRUMENT RATING.
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: 1,968 hours in all; 1,512 in this make and model; 34 in the last 90 days; 1,906 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,465 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 13, 1985; 187 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BA (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2OU Beech ND at 11:20 pm
- Destination: B1L Billings MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 330° at 20 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 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.