Beech 65 accident near Montague, Texas, April 5, 1986
On April 5, 1986 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Beech 65, registered N810Q, was destroyed in an accident near Montague, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- April 5, 1986 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Montague, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 65 · all 65s on the register
- Registration
- N810Q · no longer on the register · serial LC-26
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS OBSERVED IN THE AREA FOR SEVERAL MINUTES WHILE HE WAS PERFORMING STEEP CLIMBS AND DESCENTS, LOW PASSES, AND BUZZING. WITNESSES REPORTED POWER WAS REMOVED FROM BOTH ENGINES SIMULTANEOUSLY, AS IF THE THROTTLES WERE RETARDED, FOLLOWED BY A LOUD POP. THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO WOBBLE SLIGHTLY AND THEN A SURGE OF ENGINE POWER WAS HEARD ONLY SECONDS BEFORE TREE IMPACT OCCURRED. THE AIRCRAFT THEN YAWED SHARPLY AND IMPACTED THE GROUND.
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: multi-engine land
- Flight time: 10,624 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 10,124 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,779 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 14, 1985; 169 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,700 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IGSO-480-A1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PWA Oklahoma City OK at 6:49 pm
- Destination: OF2 Bowie TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from SPS, 45 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.