- Date
- April 29, 1989, 09:00 local (13:00 UTC)
- Place
- Suches, GA
- Injuries
- 5 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N2526WBeech B24R
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890429010329A
- Case key
- 7889
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 flight into known adverse weather, and his failure to maintain clearance above the wooded terrain. The adverse weather condition, high terrain, and trees were related factors.
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 plt had received his pvt certificate 3 days before the acdnt. About 1 hr after receiving a wx briefing, he took off from hampton, GA, on a flt to dahlonega, GA. Subsequently, the acft collided with trees & crashed about 2 mi nw of the destn arpt. The acdnt site was on the east slope of a mtn. There was evidence that impact occurred while the acft was in level flt. Wreckage was scattered over a 225' area. Freshly broken limbs with prop slash marks were fnd where the acft initially impacted trees. No preimpact part failure or malfunction was fnd during the investigation. Rprtdly, marginal wx conditions existed with low ceilings & reduced visibility.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2526W
- Reported as
- Beech B24R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- MC-200
- Airframe hours
- 1,236
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1B6, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Johnny H. Ward
- Registered owner
- Johnny H Ward
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 1, 1988 · 83 hours before
- Departed
- 4A7 · Hampton, GA
- Destination
- 9A0 · Dahlonega, GA
- Airport
- 9A0 · Lumpkin-Wimpy, runway 15, 3,000 × 50 ft, asphalt
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 93 total · 29 in this make and model · 19 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 8 knots
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FTY
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.