Beech C35 accident near Broken Bow, Nebraska, June 17, 1984
On June 17, 1984 at about 8:34 pm local time, a Beech C35, registered N335W, was destroyed in an accident near Broken Bow, Nebraska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. 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 17, 1984 · about 8:34 pm local time
- Place
- Broken Bow, Nebraska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech C35 · all C35s on the register
- Registration
- N335W · no longer on the register · serial D2853
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON AN IFR FLT AT 6000 FT, THE PLT REQUESTED, AND WAS GRANTED A DEVIATION AROUND WX. LATER, N335W INFORMED DENVER ARTCC THAT THEY WERE GOING TO GET INTO SOME MODERATE TURBULENCE FOR A LITTLE BIT BUT THAT IT LOOKED LIKE THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL. THE ACFT DISAPPEARED FROM THE DENVER ARTCC RADAR. THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED SPREAD OVER AN AREA APPROXIMATELY 1 MI BY 1/4 MI. THE INVESTIGATION DID NOT REVEAL ANY MALFUNCTION OF THE ENG OR ACFT COMPONENT AND THE PATHOLOGICAL/TOXICOLOGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE PLT ALSO WERE NEGATIVE.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,600 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,460 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 17, 1983; 102 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,700 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-225-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DSM Des Moines IA at 6:18 pm
- Destination: AIA Alliance NE
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 25 knots, gusting 35
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:21 pm from BBW, 9 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.
Other NTSB records under N335W the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.