Beech M35 accident near Council Bluffs, Iowa, December 27, 1985
On December 27, 1985 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Beech M35, registered N9730R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Council Bluffs, Iowa. It was a business 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
- December 27, 1985 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Council Bluffs, Iowa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech M35 · all M35s on the register
- Registration
- N9730R · no longer on the register · serial D-6204
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT MADE A GEAR-UP FORCED LNDG OFF THE ARPT AFTER A LOSS OF POWER DURING A BUSINESS FLT. THE ACFT HAD ONLY BEEN AIRBORNE FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION DISCOVERED THAT THE ACFT FUEL WAS CONTAMINATED WITH WATER.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,474 hours in all; 57 in this make and model; 56 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,100 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 1985; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental I0-470-C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Baron Av. Serv. INC.
The flight
- Departed from: OMA Omaha NE at 8:21 pm
- Destination: VIH Vichy MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 17 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:46 pm from OMA, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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 N9730R 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.