Beech BE-36A accident near Mount Airy, NC
On March 2, 2003, a Beech BE-36A (airplane) was involved in an accident near Mount Airy, NC. 5 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- March 2, 2003
- Place
- Mount Airy, NC
- Aircraft
- Beech BE-36A · Airplane
- Injuries
- 5 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 36.428°N, 80.558°W
- NTSB ID
- 20030307X00300
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On March 1, 2003, at 1930 eastern standard time, a Beech BE-36A, N343BA, registered to and operated by the commercial pilot, collided with terrain shortly after takeoff from the Mount Airy/Surry County Airport in Mount Airy, North Carolina. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 and instrument flight rules (IFR). Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight plan was filed. The pilot and four passengers received fatal injuries, and the airplane was destroyed. The flight was originating from Mount Airy, North Carolina, at the time of the accident on March 1, 2003. The airport manager stated that he had watched the pilot load the airplane, and he heard the pilot file an IFR flight plan in the airport lobby for a flight to the Curtis L. Brown, Jr. Field identifier 4W1, located in Elizabethtown, North Carolina. The manager stated that the pilot reported he was expecting an 800-foot ceiling and 2 statute miles visibility at arrival in Elizabethtown. After the airplane was loaded, the airport manager noted that the Elizabethtown Automated Weather Observation System (AWOS) readout was reporting the ceiling was 500 feet broken, 1,800 feet overcast, and 2 statute miles visibility in light drizzling rain. The airport manager heard the airplane takeoff from runway 18, and he stated that the engine sounded normal. Shortly after the takeoff, the airport manager said he received a telephone call from a local resident who stated that she had heard an airplane making a "flapping" sound followed by the sound
Probable cause
The pilots failure to maintain control of the aircraft due to spatial disorientation. A factor was low clouds.
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Browse: North Carolina · Beech 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.
