Beech V35B accident near Ellijay, Georgia, August 8, 2005
On August 8, 2005, a Beech V35B, registered N1212V, was destroyed in an accident near Ellijay, Georgia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's continued cruise flight under visual flight rules into known adverse weather, which resulted in his loss of control of the airplane due to spatial disorientation, and an uncontrolled descent and collision with terrain. A factor associated with the accident was the pilot's spatial disorientation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 8, 2005
- Place
- Ellijay, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech V35B · all V35Bs on the register
- Registration
- N1212V · no longer on the register · serial D-10226
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was not instrument rated, and departed on a flight under visual flight rules (VFR) into current and forecast instrument meteorological conditions. AIRMETs for instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions and mountain obscuration were in effect for the accident flight route for a timeframe from before departure to after the estimated time of the accident. While in contact with an air traffic controller, the pilot requested and received clearance to change his altitude to maintain VFR. ATC radar services were terminated when the flight left the controller's airspace. The pilot continued the flight under VFR, and crashed in mountainous terrain in an area of IFR conditions and precipitation. Examination of the accident site revealed evidence of a high-speed, steep-angle descent into terrain. Inspection of the airframe, powerplant, and accessories, revealed no evidence of preimpact malfunction.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 548 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,354.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Teledyne Continental IO-520-BB (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: K14A Mooresville NC at 1:41 pm
- Destination: KMQY Smyrna TN
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 1.2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 500 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 3:03 pm from KGVL, 30 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.
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.