Beech B35 accident near Marble Canyon, Arizona, October 13, 1984
On October 13, 1984, a Beech B35, registered N8885A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Marble Canyon, Arizona (Cliff Dwellers Lodge airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. 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
- October 13, 1984
- Place
- Marble Canyon, Arizona · Cliff Dwellers Lodge · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech B35 · all B35s on the register
- Registration
- N8885A · no longer on the register · serial D-2540
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT STATED WIND WAS FROM 220 DEG AT 5 KTS BUT AFTER TOUCHDOWN A GUST OF WIND CAUGHT THE RIGHT WING FORCING THE ACFT OFF RWY. PLT ADDED FULL PWR TO ABORT LANDING AND ACFT BECAME AIRBORNE. LEFT LANDTING GEAR CONTACTED A SAND DUNE. AS ACFT VEERED LEFT IT STALLED. A WITNESS STATED, WIND WAS BLOWING ACROSS THE RWY AT 15 TO 20 MPH FOR AT LEAST 30 MINUTES BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. THE ACFT BOUNCED ON TOUCHDOWN, VEERED OFF THE RWY AND CRASHED.
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: 1,095 hours in all; 417 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 1,082 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,704 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 15, 1983; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-225-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: P14 Holbrook Muni AZ
- Destination: AZ03 Marble Canyon AZ
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 22, 3,555 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 220° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.