Beech S35 accident near Bedias, Texas, July 27, 1984
On July 27, 1984 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Beech S35, registered N5685K, was destroyed in an accident near Bedias, Texas. It was a personal 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
- July 27, 1984 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Bedias, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech S35 · all S35s on the register
- Registration
- N5685K · no longer on the register · serial D7614
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NON INSTRUMENT RATED PLT PENETRATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IN WHICH TURBULENCE WAS LABELED AS SEVERE OR GREATER. THERE WAS NO PRE OR IN-FLT WX BRIEFING. THE AIRCRAFT BROKE UP IN-FLT AND WAS CONSUMED BY POST CRASH FIRE. INVESTIGATION REVEALED EVIDENCE OF PREVIOUS STABILIZER OVERLOAD.
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
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,470 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 17, 1984; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: T86 Houston TX
- Destination: F44 Athens TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:22 pm from CLL, 32 miles away
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.