Beech C35 accident near Wexford, Pennsylvania, September 29, 1985
On September 29, 1985 at about 3:15 pm local time, a Beech C35, registered N1886D, was destroyed in an accident near Wexford, Pennsylvania (Spec Farm airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- September 29, 1985 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Wexford, Pennsylvania · Spec Farm · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech C35 · all C35s on the register
- Registration
- N1886D · no longer on the register · serial D-3158
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AIRCRAFT WAS LANDING ON PRIVATE GRASS STRIP AND DURING LANDING ROLL STRUCK A DEER WITH THE RIGHT WING TIP. THE GRASS WAS WET AND THE PILOT LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED TREES THAT BORDERED THE AIRSTRIP AND WAS DESTROYED.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,754 hours in all; 1,100 in this make and model; 58 in the last 90 days; 2,389 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 31, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 2,700 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-185-11 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7G1 New Cumberland WV at 2:30 pm
- Destination: Wexford PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 5, 1,300 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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.