Beech 65-A90 accident near Apalachicola, Florida, June 30, 1985
On June 30, 1985 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Beech 65-A90, registered N28SE, was destroyed in an accident near Apalachicola, Florida (St George Island airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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
- June 30, 1985 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Apalachicola, Florida · St George Island · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 65-A90 · all 65-A90s on the register
- Registration
- N28SE · registry record · serial LJ-239
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AN ATP PLT (PIC) SAID HE WAS CHECKING OUT ANOTHER (COMMERCIAL) PLT IN THE ACFT. AS THE COMMERCIAL PLT WAS MAKING A TAKEOFF FROM A TOUCH-&-GO LANDING, THE ACFT LOST ALTITUDE & COLLIDED WITH WATER. THE COMMERCIAL PLT STATED THAT HE WAS LOOKING FOR THE FLAP CONTROL WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. REPORTEDLY, THE PIC WAS LOOKING FOR SOME CHARTS INSIDE HIS FLT BAG & DID NOT REALIZE THE ACFT WAS LOSING ALTITUDE UNTIL JUST PRIOR TO IMPACT. THE PIC REPORTED THAT THE VISIBILITY WAS 3 MI WITH HAZE.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,530 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 145 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 6,300 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,266 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1984; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,800 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-20 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TLH Tallahassee FL
- Destination: DAB Daytona Beach FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 3,800 ft by 65 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; not recorded at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:00 pm from TLH, 55 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.