Beech B-19 accident near Flagstaff, Arizona, March 20, 1985
On March 20, 1985 at about 5:00 am local time, a Beech B-19, registered N9734Q, was destroyed in an accident near Flagstaff, Arizona. 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
- March 20, 1985 · about 5:00 am local time
- Place
- Flagstaff, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech B-19 · all B-19s on the register
- Registration
- N9734Q · no longer on the register · serial MB19
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER RECEIVING NUMEROUS WEATHER BRIEFINGS, THAT REPORTED INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS AND MARGINAL VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, THE PILOT TOOKOFF INTO THE DARK NIGHT, FOR HIS RETURN FLIGHT, OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED A MOUNTAIN RIDGE, APPROXIMATELY 150 FEET BELOW THE CREST, ABOUT 6 MILES FROM THE AIRPORT OF DEPARTURE.
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: 592 hours in all; 528 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 551 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,100 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 9, 1984; 110 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,250 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FLG Flagstaff AZ at 4:55 am
- Destination: HHR Hawthorne CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 280° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,000 ft; scat at 800 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:54 am from FLG, 6 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.