- Date
- October 17, 1984, 18:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Fancy Gap, VA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N83475Beech QU-22A 1074
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19841017057549A
- Case key
- 6573
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
At about the 2,800 ft level the acft flew into the mountainous terrain which was obscured by clouds. Witnesses observed 2 previous attempts to fly over the rising terrain under the cloud layer. Departure and dest arpt, plt identity, and acft owner are all unknown. Law enforcement officers estimate that aprx 1,000 lbs of marijuana were aboard the acft. Most of the wreckage was destroyed by post crash fire. The acft was originally manufactured as a drone for the U.S. Army. It was similar to a Beech debonair, a total of 12 were built.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N83475
- Reported as
- Beech QU-22A 1074 (QU-22A 107)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- CED 4
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520-D, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Gearge Cash
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- Unknown
- Destination
- Unknown
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- INT, 39 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.