Beech C35 accident near Tampa, Florida, April 27, 1985
On April 27, 1985 at about 12:25 pm local time, a Beech C35, registered N1967D, was destroyed in an accident near Tampa, Florida (Vandenberg airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were 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
- April 27, 1985 · about 12:25 pm local time
- Place
- Tampa, Florida · Vandenberg · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech C35 · all C35s on the register
- Registration
- N1967D · no longer on the register · serial D-3251
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES OBSERVED THE ACFT TAKEOFF ON RWY 36 IN FOGGY CONDITIONS. THEY REPORTED THAT DURING THE INITIAL CLIMB AFTER LIFT-OFF, THE ACFT PITCHED UP & ROLLED INTO A STEEP LEFT BANK, THEN ENTERED A DESCENT & CRASHED ON AN APRX HEADING OF 060 DEG. IMPACT OCCURRED ABOUT 1/2 MI NNW FROM THE CENTER OF THE ARPT (NEAR THE DEPARTURE END OF RWY 36). NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND DURING THE INVESTIGATION. ABOUT 8 MI WEST AT TAMPA, FL, THE 0750 WX WAS IN PART: 25,000 FT SCATTERED, VISIBILITY 1-1/2 MI WITH FOG. WITNESSES AT THE ACCIDENT SITE ESTIMATED THE VISIBILITY WAS 1/2 MI WITH FOG. THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT HAD LOGGED ONLY 4.3 HRS OF HOODED FLT TIME & NO ACTUAL INSTRUMENT TIME.
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: 829 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 768 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,077 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 20, 1985; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,700 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-225-8 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: X16 at 12:24 pm
- Destination: FMY Ft. Myers FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 3,260 ft by 65 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:50 pm from TPA, 8 miles away
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.