Wood SEAWIND 3000 accident near Cumberland Gap, VA
On February 11, 2000, a Wood SEAWIND 3000 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Cumberland Gap, VA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- February 11, 2000
- Place
- Cumberland Gap, VA
- Aircraft
- Wood SEAWIND 3000 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 36.609°N, 83.720°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001212X20498
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On February 11, 2000, about 1435 Eastern Standard Time, a homebuilt Seawind 3000 amphibian airplane, N94WB, was substantially damaged after colliding with trees and mountainous terrain while maneuvering over Cumberland Gap National Historic Park, Cumberland, Virginia. The certificated private pilot/owner/builder and passenger were fatally injured. The flight originated in Dunellon, Florida, at 0844 destined for Pontiac, Michigan, with an intermediary stop in Douglas, Georgia. No flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed. A witness who lived near the park was in his house when he heard the airplane. He was interviewed via telephone by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector. According to the record of conversation, the witness said: "Approximately 3:00 pm - no sight - only heard airplane from indoors. The engine was sputtering, and was coming on and off. He ran outside to the back deck and looked up. There was a lot of fog but he did not see the airplane. He still heard sputtering for about five seconds, then heard the sound of the airplane hitting trees, then silence." A second witness, an engineer, also lived near the park and heard the airplane. In a written statement, he said: "I heard a small plane with the engine at full throttle, about 7 to 10 seconds with no missing sound, but full rev. Also, what sounded like a crash and the cracking of timber and then the engine went silent. I noticed the possible strong wind gusts at 1,300 feet and the accident site was a
Probable cause
The pilot's continued flight from visual flight rules into instrument meteorological conditions.
More accidents in VA
- Boeing 757-200, Sep 11, 2001
- Beech B99, Sep 23, 1985
- Beech 65, Sep 10, 1995
- Beech 200, Oct 24, 2004
- Piper PA-31-310, Nov 14, 1982
Browse: Virginia
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
