Individually Owned: 151,845
Corporate Owned: 143,699
Boone Inc Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Blowing Rock, North Carolina 28607
Monday, April 8, 2002 11:15 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
Witnesses reported hearing the airplane maneuvering in a valley between two mountain ridges before seeing a fireball. The wreckage was located in a wooded area at the 3,600-foot level of a mountain ridge. Wreckage debris was scattered approximately 150 feet along a 360-degree magnetic heading from a group of trees freshly broken at similar heights. A weather observation facility 3.4 nautical miles northwest of the accident site at an elevation of 3,200 feet issued ten weather reports between 0802 and 1102 at approximately 20-minute intervals. The highest reported visibility during that time frame was 3 statute miles, and the highest reported ceiling was 500 feet. Examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of pre-impact malfunction of the airframe or the engine.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The pilot's continued VFR flight in to known IMC, which resulted in an in-flight collision with trees in mountainous terrain. A factor was low ceiling.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 4/8/2002 |
| Event Day of the Week | Monday |
| Time of Event | 1115 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | Blowing Rock |
| Event State | NORTH CAROLINA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 28607 |
| Event Date Year | 2002 |
| Event Date Month | 4 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 360905N |
| Event Location Longitude | 0813655W |
| Event Location Airport | Boone Inc |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | NC14 |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 3 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 163 |
| Airport Elevation | 3120 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1102 Eastern Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 336 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | TNB |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 3200 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 3 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 300 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | -- |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Overcast |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 2.5 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 8 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 7 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 250 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 4 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30.34 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 2603 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | METAR KTNB 081502Z AUTO 25004KT 2 1/2SM BR OVC003 |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | 1 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 15056 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA |
| NTSB Notification Date | Apr 8 2001 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1430 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | Mar 30 2004 8:14AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\MONR |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | Charlotte FSDO - 33 |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N3292C |
| NTSB Number | ATL02FA077 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | Ground |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Beech |
| Aircraft Model | E35 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | D-3959 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2725 |
| 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 | Unknown |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | James Frederick Acquaviva |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 271 Paul Critcher Drive |
| Aircraft Owner City | Boone |
| Aircraft Owner State | NC |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 28607 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | -- |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | -- |
| Operator City | -- |
| Operator State | -- |
| Operator Country | -- |
| Operator Zip code | -- |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| 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 | HKY |
| Departure City | Hickory |
| Departure State | NC |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 1057 |
| Departure Time Zone | EDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | NC14 |
| Destination City | Boone |
| Destination State | NC |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Maneuvering |
| Report sent to ICAO? | No |
| Evacuation occurred | No |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 12 2004 7:56AM |
| User who most recently changed record | POWP |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 13 |
| Runway Length | 2100 |
| Runway Width | 40 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |