Beech BE-55 accident near Jacksboro, Tennessee, August 20, 2002
On August 20, 2002 at about 3:03 pm local time, a Beech BE-55, registered N132WM, was destroyed in an accident near Jacksboro, Tennessee. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Pilot incapacitation due to a heart attack resulting in a loss of control and the subsequent in-flight collision with a lake.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 2002 · about 3:03 pm local time
- Place
- Jacksboro, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech BE-55
- Registration
- N132WM · registry record · serial TC519
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial-rated pilot radioed that he had the airport in sight, but the aircraft passed by the airport, descended and collided with a lake. Examination of the airframe, flight controls, engine assemblies, and accessories revealed no deficiencies. Postmortem examination of the pilot revealed severe coronary arteriosclerosis with a total occlusion of the right coronary artery, greater than 90 percent stenosis by atherosclerortic plaque of the left anterior descending coronary artery, and 50 percent stenosis by calcified atherosclerotic plaque of the left circumflex coronary artery.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 296 in this make and model; 55 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: July 10, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,240 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 18, 2002; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RNC Mcminnville TN at 2:29 pm
- Destination: JAU Jacksboro TN
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 500 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from OQT, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ATL02FA160.