Beech 58 accident near Boca Raton, Florida, November 23, 1985
On November 23, 1985 at about 1:05 pm local time, a Beech 58, registered N3862Y, was destroyed in an accident near Boca Raton, Florida (Boca Raton Public Arpt airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 6 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
- November 23, 1985 · about 1:05 pm local time
- Place
- Boca Raton, Florida · Boca Raton Public Arpt · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 6 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 58 · all 58s on the register
- Registration
- N3862Y · no longer on the register · serial TH-1246
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE PLT TOOK OFF ON RWY 4, THEN TURNED LEFT TOWARD THE SOUTHWEST & FLEW PARALLEL WITH THE RWY AT A DISTANCE OF ABOUT 1/4 TO 1/2 MI. HE LEVELED THE ACFT AT APRX 200' AGL, JUST BELOW THE CLOUDS, UNTIL APRX ABEAM OF MIDFIELD, THEN HE TURNED SLIGHTLY TO THE RIGHT. ONE WITNESS REPORTED THAT AT ABOUT THAT TIME, THE ACFT WAS 'BUFFETING OR PORPOISING.' ANOTHER WITNESS, WHO WAS DRIVING SOUTHBOUND ON I-95, ABOUT 3/4 MI EAST OF THE CRASH SITE, STATED HE SAWTHE ACFT ON A WESTBOUND HDG, CLEAR OF CLOUDS, AT AN ALT OF 200 TO 300 FT AGL IN APRX A LEVEL ATTITUDE, WHEN IT SUDDENLY 'NOSED DOWN' TO THE GROUND. THE ACFT IMPACTED IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA WHILE IN A STEEP DSCNT. NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL PROBLEM WAS FND. THE ACFT WAS ESTIMATED TO BE APRX 600 LBS OVER ITS MAX GROSS WT LIMIT OF 5400 LBS WITH THE CG .27 TO .97 INCH BEHIND THE AFT LIMIT.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 756 hours in all; 362 in this make and model; 32 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 579 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 391 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1985; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-CB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BCT at 1:00 pm
- Destination: MYAM Marsh Harbor OF
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 4, 5,200 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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.