Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Gunthertown, Alabama 35160
Monday, October 9, 2006 7:35 CDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
About 24 minutes before departure, the pilot received a weather briefing from a flight service station that informed him that overcast conditions at 1200 feet could be expected along his route of flight. The briefer also informed the pilot that flight under visual flight rules (VFR) was not recommended; however, the pilot elected to depart under VFR. Although no radar data exists for the flight, the location of the accident site was consistent with the pilot having flown the airplane toward the Talladega National Forest, an area where the pilot frequently flew. After the pilot failed to arrive at his destination, a search was initiated, and the wreckage was located on October 11, 2006, at 1340, on Burgess Peak, at an elevation of 1,787 feet mean sea level. The airplane first impacted the top of a tree on the south side of Burgess Peak on a 300-degree heading. This heading coincides with the heading the pilot would have been flying when he departed the Auburn-Opelika Airport, indicating the pilot was on his intended heading and had control of the airplane at the time of the first tree impact. A review of the weather briefing the pilot received from Flight Service prior to his departure, revealed that the airplane likely encountered instrument meteorological conditions and near zero visibility at the altitude of the accident site. Examination of the airplane found no preimpact mechanical failure or malfunctions that would have prevented the airplane from operating properly.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The pilot's continued flight from VMC into IMC conditions which resulted in an in-flight collision with rising terrain.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 10/9/2006 |
| Event Day of the Week | Monday |
| Time of Event | 735 |
| Event Time Zone | Central Daylight Time |
| Event City | Gunthertown |
| Event State | ALABAMA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 35160 |
| Event Date Year | 2006 |
| Event Date Month | 10 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 332255N |
| Event Location Longitude | 0855426W |
| Event Location Airport | -- |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | -- |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | -- |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | -- |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | AUO |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | -- |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | -- |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | -- |
| Lighting Conditions | -- |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 1200 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Overcast |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 16 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 13 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 70 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 6 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30.13 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| 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) | 23295 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA ATL Comm. Center |
| NTSB Notification Date | Oct 11 2006 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | -- |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | Mar 31 2008 11:52AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\johb |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | Birmingham FSDO |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N6974Q |
| NTSB Number | ATL07FA005 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | Y |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | -- |
| Aircraft Explosion | -- |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Beech |
| Aircraft Model | BE-19A |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | MB-321 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2150 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | -- |
| 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 | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Sep 1 2006 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | 6328.97 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | Sid Hall Enterprises Inc |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | PO Box 3008 |
| Aircraft Owner City | Albany |
| Aircraft Owner State | GA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 31706 |
| Operator is an individual? | Yes |
| Operator Name | Jeremy Ryan Johnson |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 1400 Lascassas Pike Apt 153 |
| Operator City | Murfreesboro |
| Operator State | TN |
| Operator Country | USA |
| Operator Zip code | 37130 |
| 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 | AUO |
| Departure City | Auburn |
| Departure State | AL |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 700 |
| Departure Time Zone | CDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | MBT |
| Destination City | Murfreesboro |
| Destination State | TN |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Cruise - normal |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Mar 19 2008 3:32PM |
| User who most recently changed record | KENJ |
| Since inspection or accident | Last Inspection |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | NA |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |