- Date
- December 30, 2006, 11:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Asheville, NC
- Injuries
- 2 minor, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2319LBeech BE-23
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 25, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20061230029159A
- Case key
- 65090
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's continued VFR cruise flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in a forced landing and collision with trees. Factors associated with the accident were fog and low ceilings.
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 private pilot was conducting a Title 14, CFR Part 91 cross-country personal flight with three passengers. While over an area of mountainous terrain, weather conditions began to deteriorate with fog, low ceilings, and poor visibility. The weather conditions worsened, and the airplane entered a fog bank. The pilot reported that after losing all visual reference with the mountainous terrain below, he leveled the airplane's wings, and began a shallow descent. As the airplane emerged from the fog bank, the pilot saw a tree-covered mountain slope about 100 feet ahead, and he selected a forced landing site in the trees. During the forced landing, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage.
Factual narrative
The private pilot was conducting a Title 14, CFR Part 91 cross-country personal flight with three passengers. While over an area of mountainous terrain, weather conditions began to deteriorate with fog, low ceilings, and poor visibility. The weather conditions worsened, and the airplane entered a fog bank. The pilot reported that after losing all visual reference with the mountainous terrain below, he leveled the airplane's wings, and began a shallow descent. As the airplane emerged from the fog bank, the pilot saw a tree-covered mountain slope about 100 feet ahead, and he selected a forced landing site in the trees. During the forced landing, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2319L
- Reported as
- Beech BE-23
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- M-145
- Airframe hours
- 4,016.6
- Engine
- Lycoming O320-D2B, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Gerald R. Ducatte
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 1, 2006 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- OSU · Columbus, OH
- Destination
- 0A7 · Hendersonville, NC
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
- 40
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 129 total · 129 in this make and model · 10 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 0 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 200 ft
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.47 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.