Beech A36 accident near Zolfo Springs, Florida, July 22, 1984
On July 22, 1984 at about 9:37 pm local time, a Beech A36, registered N6265X, was destroyed in an accident near Zolfo Springs, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 5 people were killed. 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 22, 1984 · about 9:37 pm local time
- Place
- Zolfo Springs, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 5 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Beech A36 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N6265X · no longer on the register · serial E-1999
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE PRE-FLT WX BRIEFING, THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT WAS ADVISED OF NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ALONG HIS PROPOSED ROUTE OF FLT & THAT VFR FLT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. WHILE EN ROUTE, HE CONTACTED MIAMI CENTER, REQUESTED FLT FOLLOWING & WAS INSTRUCTED TO MAINTAIN VFR. IN THE VICINITY OF NUMEROUS LVL 3 & 4 PRECIPITATION AREAS, THE PLT INQUIRED ABOUT THE WXAHEAD & WAS PROVIDED VECTORS TO THE CLEAREST AREA. HOWEVER, RADIO & RADAR CONTACT WERE LOST & THE ACFT CRASHED. A WITNESS NEAR THE CRASH SITE SAW THE ACFT FALLING WITHOUT WINGS JUST PRIOR TO IMPACT. HE NOTED THAT THERE WAS A DARK CLOUD BEHIND THE ACFT, LIGHT RAIN WAS FALLING & THE SURFACE WIND WAS FROM THE EAST & WAS GUSTING. THE WINGS, CABIN DOOR & ELEVATOR COUNTERWEIGHTS WERE FOUND ABOUT 1/2 MI WEST OF THE FUSELAGE. THE WINGS HAD FAILED UPWARD, THE VERTICAL STABILIZER HAD SEPARATED AT THE TOP OF THE TAILCONE & THE ENTIRE TAILCONE HAD BROKEN FROM THE FUSELAGE. NO PREEXISTING CRACKS OR FATIGUE WAS FOUND. THE PLT'S LAST MEDICAL CERTIFICATE WAS DATED 4/6/81.
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: 189 hours in all; 61 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: None (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 667 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 13, 1984; 84 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hangar One, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: EYW Key West FL at 8:20 pm
- Destination: ORL Orlando FL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:47 pm from LAL, 38 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.