Beech A23 accident near Pinnacle, NC
On June 1, 2021, a Beech A23 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Pinnacle, NC. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- June 1, 2021
- Place
- Pinnacle, NC
- Aircraft
- Beech A23 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 36.341°N, 80.393°W
- NTSB ID
- 20210601103191
Official records · ERA21FA237
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On June 1, 2021, about 1720 eastern daylight time, a Beech A23, N8780M, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Pinnacle, North Carolina. The student pilot was fatally injured and the flight instructor sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The flight instructor stated that, after performing a series of maneuvers, while transitioning between practice areas, the engine lost total power. After multiple attempts to restart the engine, she performed a forced landing to a field. A review of the flight track data revealed that the flight departed runway 22 at Smith Reynolds Airport (INT), Winston Salem, North Carolina, about 1641. The airplane made a right turn and tracked northwest, then east, performing a series of turns, climbs, and descents, consistent with maneuvering flight. About 1718, while flying on an easterly track, the airplane entered a right descending 270° turn from about 2,100 ft mean sea level (msl). The last target was observed at 1719 as the airplane descended through 1,075 ft msl at a groundspeed of 64 knots, about 16 miles northwest of INT. The elevation at the accident site was about 1,000 ft. The airplane impacted a grass field on a residential property. The wreckage debris path was about 65 ft long and oriented on a magnetic heading of 162°. There was no postimpact fire and all major structural components of the airplane were located within the debris field. All flight control cables were continuous from the cockpit controls to the control surf
Probable cause
The flight instructor’s mismanagement of the available fuel, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
More accidents in NC
- Douglas DC-9-31, Jul 2, 1994
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- Cessna 550, Dec 18, 2025
- Beech D55, Jan 9, 1983
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.
