Beech F-33A accident near Concord, New Hampshire, October 11, 1987
On October 11, 1987 at about 2:51 pm local time, a Beech F-33A, registered N17985, was destroyed in an accident near Concord, New Hampshire (Concord Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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
- October 11, 1987 · about 2:51 pm local time
- Place
- Concord, New Hampshire · Concord Municipal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech F-33A · all F-33As on the register
- Registration
- N17985 · registry record · serial CE-717
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT OBTAINED A TELEPHONE WX BRIEFING THEN FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN FOR A 1030 EDT DEPARTURE FM CONCORD MUNICIPAL AIRPORT. THE PLT RPTD OFF CONCORD AT 800 FT AND CLIMBING AT 1047. MANCHESTER DEPARTURE CONTROL ACKNOWLEDGED, ASSIGNED A TRANSPONDER CODE, AND OBSERVED AN INDICATED ALTITUDE OF 1900 FT AT 1050 EDT. THE PLT DID NOT RESPOND TO MANCHESTER. THE ACFT CRASHED IN A SCHOOL YARD IN A STEEP DESCENT. WITNESSES GAVE CONFLICTING STATEMENTS REGARDING ENG NOISE. ONE WITNESS SAID IT SOUNDED LIKE THE ENGINE WENT TO FULL THROTTLE BEFORE IMPACT. PROP SLASH MARKS WERE OBSERVED AT THE IMPACT PT. THE ENG TEARDOWN REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF MALFUNCTION.
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: 665 hours in all; 521 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 5, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CON Concord NH
- Destination: BED Bedford MA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 900 ft; scat at 400 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 pm from CON
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.