Beech 65-A80 accident near Cuyama, California, March 21, 1986
On March 21, 1986 at about 7:30 am local time, a Beech 65-A80, registered N29DS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cuyama, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 21, 1986 · about 7:30 am local time · cases in 1986
- Place
- Cuyama, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Beech 65-A80 · all 65-A80s on the register
- Registration
- N29DS · registry record · serial LD-212
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CONTACTED TWO COWS WHILE OPERATING ALONG THE SIDE OF A ROAD IN A REMOTE AREA. VEHICLE TRACKS WERE FOUND NEAR THE WRECKAGE, HOWEVER, NO PERSONS WERE FOUND AT OR NEAR THE WRECKAGE. TRAINED DRUG SNIFFING DOGS WERE USED AT THE ACCIDENT SITE AND IT IS BELIEVED A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF DRUGS WERE ONBOARD THE ACFT.
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
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 8,500 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IGSO-540-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Airtransport INC.
The flight
- Destination: Uknown
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N29DS on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Beechcraft 65 201 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Beechcraft 6 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming IGSO-540-A1A 48 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,096 in the last ten years
- California 28,134 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX86FVM03.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.