- Date
- November 2, 1985, 06:55 local (13:55 UTC)
- Place
- Elbert, CO
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Uncontrolled descent
- Aircraft
- N26BWBeech 58
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19851102056049A
- Case key
- 16853
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
The acft crashed in a open field & was not found for 4 days. The home built acft, maintained largely by the plt, had the engine destroyed so completely that no determination could be made as to power being developed at impact. The plt reportedly had been acting strangely for a few days prior to the accident. No radio calls were received from the flt after the initial clearance. The acft impacted 70-80 deggees nose dwn with the wongs level.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N26BW
- Reported as
- Beech 58
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 222
- Airframe hours
- 35
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Robert C. Ward
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 15, 1985 · 35 hours before
- Departed
- 48V · Erie, CO
- Destination
- L32 · Oceanside, CA
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- Age
- 56
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 4,913 total · 35 in this make and model · 9 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Wind
- 320° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 75 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 37 °F
- Observed at
- DEN, 29 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.