# Accident 19960727020149A: Beech C24R, Hazelton, ND, July 27, 1996

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 27, 1996, 22:45 local time
- Place: Hazelton, ND
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 46.4801° N, 100.2693° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=46.4801&lon=-100.2693&mi=10
- Aircraft: N5247M (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: BEECH C24R
- Fatal injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI96LA259](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI96LA259) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960727020149A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) THE PILOT OF THIS BEECHCRAFT C24 WAS BEING OPERATED UNDER CFR 14 PART 91. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE OBSERVED LIGHTING AHEAD OF HIS AIRCRAFT AND WAS ATTEMPTING TO AVOID THE THUNDERSTORM AT NIGHT WHEN HE INADVERTENTLY ENTERED IMC CONDITIONS. HE REPORTED HEAVY TURBULENCE AND RAIN. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT ON INSTRUMENTS, THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE GROUND IN A NEARLY LEVEL ATTITUDE. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS NOT AWARE THAT HE WAS NEAR THE SURFACE BECAUSE HE WAS SO DISTRACTED IN ATTEMPTING CONTROL IN INSTRUMENT CONDITIONS. THE PILOT WAS NOT INSTRUMENT RATED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED AND ONE PASSENGER AND THE PILOT HAD MINOR INJURIES. NO FIRE RESULTED.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CHI96LA259](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI96LA259), Jul 27, 1996: Beech C24R (N5247M), Hazelton, ND, substantial damage. Probable cause: inadvertent VFR flight by the noninstrument-rated pilot into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), and his failure to maintain altitude control of the airplane, which resulted in a collision…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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