- Date
- April 25, 1992, 23:15 local (Apr 26, 1992, 03:15 UTC)
- Place
- Burnsville, NC
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N28110Bellanca 17-30A
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report May 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920425011519A
- Case key
- 8503
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 failure to adequately evaluate the weather information and his continued visual flight into instrument conditions, which resulted in a collision with high terrain. A factor was the dark night.
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 flight departed under visual flight rules at night into an area of rapidly rising terrain. Departure control instructed the flight to climb to 8,500 feet. The weather briefing advised the pilot of possible turbulence and icing conditions along the planned route. According to local residences in the immediate vicinity of the accident, snow showers were present at the approximate time of the accident. The last radar plot placed an aircraft at 6,500 feet in the vicinity of the accident site. The terrain elevation at the accident site was approximately 6,300 feet. Examination of the aircraft failed to reveal any mechanical problems.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N28110
- Reported as
- Bellanca 17-30A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 30918
- Airframe hours
- 1,823
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-K, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Swope, Garrett H.
- Registered owner
- Swope, Garrett H.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- GSO · Greensboro, NC
- Destination
- CHA · Chattanooga, TN
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
- 31
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 400 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 320° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 50 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- AVL, 25 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.