Beech 95-B55 accident near Grand Canyon, Arizona, July 20, 1985
On July 20, 1985 at about 10:24 pm local time, a Beech 95-B55, registered N7474N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grand Canyon, Arizona (Grand Canyon airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 5 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
- July 20, 1985 · about 10:24 pm local time
- Place
- Grand Canyon, Arizona · Grand Canyon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 95-B55 · all 95-B55s on the register
- Registration
- N7474N · no longer on the register · serial TC1121
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PREPARING FOR AN AIR TAXI, SIGHTSEEING FLIGHT, THE PIC PERFORMED A PREFLIGHT INSPECTION OF THE ACFT & FAILED TO OBSERVE THAT THE RT MAIN FUEL TANK WAS NEARLY EMPTY. FIVE(5) MIN AFTER TAKEOFF THE RT ENG'S MAIN TANK FUEL SUPPLY WAS EXHAUSTED & THE ENG LOST ALL PWR. THE PLT FIRST ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE ENG & THEN ATTEMPTED TO FEATHER IT. HE FAILED TO WINDMILL. UNABLE TO SUSTAIN FLIGHT, THE ACFT DESCENDED INTO TERRAIN FROM ITS CRUISE ALT OF 600 FT AGL.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,300 hours in all; 129 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days; 6,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,760 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, June 11, 1985; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental I0-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Vegas, INC
The flight
- Departed from: GCN Grand Canyon AZ at 10:20 pm
- Destination: LAS Las Vegas NV
- Runway 0, 8,999 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:30 pm from GCN, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.