Beech BE-19A accident near Gunthertown, Alabama, October 9, 2006
On October 9, 2006 at about 12:35 pm local time, a Beech BE-19A, registered N6974Q, was destroyed in an accident near Gunthertown, Alabama. 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 flight from VMC into IMC conditions which resulted in an in-flight collision with rising terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 9, 2006 · about 12:35 pm local time
- Place
- Gunthertown, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech BE-19A
- Registration
- N6974Q · no longer on the register · serial MB-321
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 250 hours in all; 111 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 221 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,329.0 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AUO Auburn AL at 12:00 pm
- Destination: MBT Murfreesboro TN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Wind: from 070° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,200 ft; clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 7:15 am from AUO
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.