Beech B23 accident near Alderwood Manor, Washington, January 29, 1987
On January 29, 1987 at about 1:15 am local time, a Beech B23, registered N6076N, was destroyed in an accident near Alderwood Manor, Washington. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- January 29, 1987 · about 1:15 am local time
- Place
- Alderwood Manor, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Beech B23 · all B23s on the register
- Registration
- N6076N · no longer on the register · serial M-11169
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT, AFTER EXHAUSTING ALL FUEL IN ONE TANK, FAILED TO SELECT THE REMAINING FUEL TANK DURING HIS APPROACH. HIS UNFAMILIARITY WITH THE MAKE/MODEL OF THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT IS CONSIDERED A FACTOR IN HIS FAILING TO LOCATE THE FUEL SELECTOR AND SWITCHING TO THE APPROPRIATE FUEL TANK. OBSTRUCTIONS IN THE FORM OF TREES AND A FENCE AS WELL AS DUSK LIGHTING CONDITIONS ALL SERVED TO COMPROMISE THE FORCED LANDING.
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
- Flight time: 188 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 162 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,675 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 20, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S88 Arlington WA
- Destination: S13 Alderwood Manor WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 130° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,000 ft; scat at 500 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:30 am from PAE
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.