- Date
- October 3, 2020, 13:15 local (17:15 UTC)
- Place
- Spruce Pines, NC · Airplane came to rest in road just off airport property
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8783MBeech 23
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Runway excursion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20201003016859A
- Case key
- 102119
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 familiarize himself with the wind conditions at the destination airport and his failure to attain the proper touchdown point during landing, which resulted in a long, tailwind landing and subsequent runway overrun.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
Before attempting to land on the 3,001-ft-long, asphalt runway, the pilot had been advised by personnel at the destination airport that landing toward the upsloping direction of the runway was preferred. The pilot did not check the wind direction prior to landing, and during the landing flare, the airplane did not slow down or descend. The pilot added full flaps, but the airplane continued to float and touched down with about 200 ft of remaining runway. Subsequently, the airplane overran the runway end, proceeded through the airport perimeter fence, traveled down an embankment, and came to rest on a road. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. Following the accident, the pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation and stated that he believed that a tailwind was likely present during the landing attempt.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8783M
- Reported as
- Beech 23
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- M-568
- Built
- 1964
- Airframe hours
- 3,585
- Engine
- Continental IO 346A, 165 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 3, 2020 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- K62 · Falmouth, KY
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- 7A8 · Avery County Airport, runway 35, 3,001 × 60 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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
- 71
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- BasicMed
- Last flight review
- November 9, 2018
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 500 total · 35 in this make and model · 500 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 2.5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 3025.00 inHg
- Turbulence
- Unknown
- Observed at
- KMRN, 20 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 18, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.6 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.