Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Mt Airy-Surry County Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Mt Airy, North Carolina 27030
Saturday, December 24, 1988 18:15 EST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE ACFT HIT TREES & CRASHED NEAR THE CREST OF A RIDGE APRX 1.5 MI EAST OF MT AIRY-SURRY COUNTY ARPT WHILE PROCEEDING SEAT AN ELEV OF 1550' MSL. THE ARPT ELEV WAS 1241 FT. AREA RESIDENTS RPRTD THAT LOW CEILINGS & FOG PREVAILED AT THE TIME. EARLIER THAT DAY, THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT ATMTD TO LND AT MT AIRY, BUT DIVERTED TO WINSTON-SALEM (APRX 25 MI SE), DUE TO WX. BEFORE DEPG WINSTON-SALEM ON THE ACDNT FLT, HE OBTAINED A WX BRIEFING & WAS ADZD OF A COLD FRONT IN THE AREA.A LINEMAN AT WINSTON-SALEM RPRTD THE PAX WAS ANXIOUS TO GET TO MT AIRY; A RELATIVE OF THE PAX SAID THE PLT & PAX WERE ON THEIR WAY TO MT AIRY FOR THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS, BUT HAD NO REASON TO BE IN A HURRY.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO LOCATE THE DESTINATION AIRPORT IN INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN A SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE TO AVOID THE TERRAIN IN THE AREA. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE PILOT' OVERCONFIDENCE IN HIS PERSONAL ABILITY AND PRESSURE FROM HIS PASSENGER TO COMPLETE THE FLIGHT.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 12/24/1988 |
| Event Day of the Week | Saturday |
| Time of Event | 1815 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time |
| Event City | MT AIRY |
| Event State | NORTH CAROLINA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 27030 |
| Event Date Year | 1988 |
| Event Date Month | 12 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | MT AIRY-SURRY COUNTY |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | MWK |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | 1241 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1846 Eastern Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 150 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | INT |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 970 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 25 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EST |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Dark |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Overcast |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 17 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 14 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 230 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 8 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 2 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 2277 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Dec 25 1988 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1550 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 40089 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 13 2000 12:21PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N210RW |
| NTSB Number | ATL89FA061 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | Ground |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | CESSNA |
| Aircraft Model | 210B |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 210B |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 21058066 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 3000 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | 3000 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | GSA |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 4901 LEIGH DR. |
| Aircraft Owner City | RALEIGH |
| Aircraft Owner State | NC |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 27604 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | WILLIAM R. SPENCER |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 6317 SECRET DR. |
| Operator City | RALEIGH |
| Operator State | NC |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 27612 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | INT |
| Departure City | WINSTON-SALEM |
| Departure State | NC |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1753 |
| Departure Time Zone | EST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Approach |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:35AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | 3500 |
| Runway Width | 75 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |