Beech BE-35 accident near Warsaw, North Carolina, April 27, 2002
On April 27, 2002 at about 6:06 pm local time, a Beech BE-35, registered N2152D, was destroyed in an accident near Warsaw, North Carolina. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's physical impairment due to the use of marijuana. The pilot's diminished judgment to continue flight into known instrument flight conditions that resulted in an in-flight loss of control, failure of the right wing due to overstress separation, and subsequent in flight collision with trees and terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 27, 2002 · about 6:06 pm local time
- Place
- Warsaw, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech BE-35
- Registration
- N2152D · no longer on the register · serial D-3502
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed on a VFR flight from Selkirk, New York, to an undisclosed destination. No flight plan was filed or did the pilot receive a weather briefing. Review of radar data and a refueling slip revealed the pilot landed in Greenville, North Carolina, and refueled. The pilot did not established any radio communication with the AirTraffic Control System along his route of flight. A review of weather data revealed that the pilot encountered instrument flight conditions over eastern North Carolina. The airplane was last observed on radar at 18:05:54, at 4,400 feet. Examination of the airplane at the crash site revealed a failure of the right wing due to overstress separation. Toxicology results from the pilot were positive for marijuana.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,290 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,725 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-225-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PGV Greenville NC at 4:31 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,700 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.26 inHg
- Observation at 6:01 pm from DPL, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.