Socata TBM 700 accident near Leesburg, VA
On March 1, 2003, a Socata TBM 700 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Leesburg, VA. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- March 1, 2003
- Place
- Leesburg, VA
- Aircraft
- Socata TBM 700 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 39.117°N, 77.571°W
- NTSB ID
- 20030310X00310
Official records · IAD03FA035
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Transcript of Radio Communications: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On March 1, 2003, about 1445 eastern standard time, a Socata TBM-700, N700PP, was substantially damaged when it collided with trees, during an instrument approach to Leesburg Executive Airport (JYO), Leesburg, Virginia. The certificated airline transport pilot, the private pilot, and the passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was owned and operated by High Performance Technologies, Incorporated, Arlington, Virginia. An instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the flight that originated at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP), Greer, South Carolina, about 1230. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the business flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Several witnesses observed and heard the airplane. According to one witness, a private pilot and an airplane owner based at Leesburg, he was in his truck approaching a stop sign when he first saw and heard the airplane. He said the airplane "appeared" out of the fog about 300-400 feet above the ground, directly in front of where he was located. The airplane was in a "slight left bank" (10-15 degrees), with the nose pointed "slightly down" (about 20-25 degrees), and traveling fast. The airplane was in a left turn, moving south to east, and toward the north. The witness then observed the airplane to "simultaneously and suddenly level out," pitch up (20-25 degrees), and increase power. The change in engine sound was similar to when an airplane applied power for take-off. The witness thought that the pilot realized he was low and was trying to "
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to fly a stabilized, published instrument approach procedure, and his failure to maintain adequate airspeed which led to an aerodynamic stall.
More accidents in VA
- Boeing 757-200, Sep 11, 2001
- Beech B99, Sep 23, 1985
- Beech 65, Sep 10, 1995
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Browse: Virginia · Socata aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
