Pilot Debrief

BEECH C24R near Sylva, NC — 2009-08-26

Final reportERA09LA483
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Date
2009-08-26
Location
Sylva, NC, USA
Airport
24A
Aircraft
BEECH C24R
Registration
N770DL
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
2
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed during an aborted landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

NTSB narrative

Following the 3-hour-and-40-minute, instrument-flight-rules, cross-country flight, the pilot approached the destination airport. The airplane descended from 9,400 feet mean sea level (msl) to 3,100 feet msl and entered the traffic pattern on a right downwind leg for runway 33. The pilot flew a low approach over the runway and then entered a left traffic pattern about 350 feet above the airport elevation. The pilot again approached the runway and slowed the airplane from 91 knots to 60 knots, and a witness observed the airplane touch down on the runway before it proceeded out of his view. The airplane impacted a wooded area beyond the departure end of the runway inverted and in a nose-down attitude. The airplane's recorded groundspeed for the final portion of the flight never exceeded 63 knots, and the calculated stall speed was 61 knots calibrated airspeed. The winds reported at an airport 12 nautical miles southwest were a left quartering tailwind at 3 knots. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Controlled flight into terrain
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted the approach after the first low pass.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • ADS-B / radar
  • Photos
  • 14 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents14

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