Amateur-built Seawind 3000 accident near Yanceyville, North Carolina, April 11, 2007
On April 11, 2007 at about 7:45 pm local time, a amateur-built Seawind 3000, registered N666AC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Yanceyville, North Carolina (Danville Regional airport). 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 failure to maintain clearance/altitude while operating in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of an instrument rating, his improper decision to operate in IMC, a low cloud ceiling, and reduced visibility.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 11, 2007 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Yanceyville, North Carolina · Danville Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Seawind 3000
- Registration
- N666AC · no longer on the register · serial 30
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot, who did not hold an instrument rating, contacted an Automated Flight Service Station and requested a weather briefing for an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight. The pilot was provided a complete weather briefing which included the following weather conditions at his destination: clouds 400 feet broken, 800 feet overcast, visibility 1 3/4 statute miles in light rain and fog, temperature 45 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 45 degrees Fahrenheit, wind 060 degrees at 8 knots, and an altimeter setting of 29.90 inches of mercury. The pilot acknowledged the weather briefing and then filed an IFR flight plan. While on approach to the pilot's planned destination, the airplane collided with trees. All airplane components were observed at the accident site and no anomalies were noted.
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: 844 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: O3NC Carolina Beach NC at 6:30 pm
- Destination: DAN Danville VA
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 1.8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 400 ft; clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 7:39 pm from DAN, 5 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.