Amateur-built BD-5B accident near Oak Harbor, Washington, June 29, 1985
On June 29, 1985 at about 10:05 pm local time, a amateur-built BD-5B, registered N5KB, was destroyed in an accident near Oak Harbor, Washington. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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 29, 1985 · about 10:05 pm local time
- Place
- Oak Harbor, Washington
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built BD-5B
- Registration
- N5KB · registry record · serial 58-2222
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PRIOR TO THE ACDNT, WITNESSES APRX 9 MI SW OF THE CRASH SITE SAW AN ACFT (MATCHING THE DESCRIPTION OF N5KB) FLYING AT ABOUT 100 TO 200 FT OVER THE WATER ON A NE HEADING. IT THEN PULLED UP IN A STEEP CLIMBING TURN TOWARD THE SHORELINE. NO KNOWN WITNESSES SAW THE ACDNT; HOWEVER, SEVERAL PERSONS CLEARLY HEARD THE ENG SPUTTERING OR CUTTING IN & OUT JUST PRIOR THE THE CRASH. AN EXAM OF THE CRASH SITE REVEALED THE ACFT HAD IMPACTED IN TREES WHILE IN A STEEP DESCENT. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND THAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED A LOSS OF CONTROL. THE ACFT WAS EQUIPPED WITH A 3 CYLINDER, 2 CYCLE, RECIPROCATING ENG WHICH HAD 3 CARBURETORS. WATER & FOREIGN MATERIAL WERE FOUND IN THE BOWLS OF ALL 3 CARBURETORS. ALSO, THE ACFT FUEL FILTER WAS FOUND TO BE CONTAMINATED WITH WATER & FOREIGN MATERIAL. DURING AN ENG TEARDOWN, EVIDENCE OF OVERHEATING & SCOURING OF THE #3 PISTON & CYLINDER WAS ALSO NOTED.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,800 hours in all; 650 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 650 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 850 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Zenoah GT2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S36 Kent WA at 9:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:00 pm from WDY, 5 miles away
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.