Beech B33 accident near Arlington, Texas, December 30, 1985
On December 30, 1985 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Beech B33, registered N8948M, was destroyed in an accident near Arlington, Texas (Arlington Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were 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 30, 1985 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Arlington, Texas · Arlington Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech B33
- Registration
- N8948M · no longer on the register · serial CD723
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
INSPITE OF AN ADVERSE WEATHER FORECAST, THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT TOOK OFF INTO PRE-DAWN FOG AND LOW CEILINGS. THE ACFT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A STEEP DESCENDING TURN AFTER BEING OBSERVED MANEUVERING AT A LOW ALTITUDE. NO ENG, AIRFRAME, OR INSTRUMENT MALFUNCTIONS WERE DISCOVERED.
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: 600 hours in all; 50 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,293 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 14, 1985; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental I0-470-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: H71 Pryor OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:52 pm from FTW, 16 miles away
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.