Beech 35 accident near Avenal, California, November 11, 1985
On November 11, 1985 at about 1:20 am local time, a Beech 35, registered N50CN, was destroyed in an accident near Avenal, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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
- November 11, 1985 · about 1:20 am local time
- Place
- Avenal, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 35 · all 35s on the register
- Registration
- N50CN · no longer on the register · serial D243
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RECEIVED A WEATHER BRIEFING (TWICE) AND WAS ADVISED EACH TIME THAT VFR FLT ALONG HIS ROUTE WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. A WITNESS OBSERVED THE ACFT FLYING AT A LOW ALT BELOW A CLOUD LAYER, WHEN IT MADE AN ABRUPT LEFT DESCENDING TURN AND CRASHED IN A FIELD. ANOTHER WITNESS WAS DRIVING ON I-5 AND OBSERVED THE ACFT PASS OVERHEAD AT 300 TO 400 FT AGL BELOW THE CLOUDS, AND A SHORT TIME LATER SAW A BALL OF FLAMES NEXT TO THE HWY.L OF FLAMES NEXT TO THE HIGHWAY.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,400 hours in all; 4,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,679 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 20, 1985; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-185-8 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: MAI Madera CA
- Destination: GUP Gallup NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; scat at 400 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.