Beech F35 accident near Elkin, North Carolina, August 1, 1983
On August 1, 1983 at about 5:05 pm local time, a Beech F35, registered CGGHP, was destroyed in an accident near Elkin, North Carolina. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 1, 1983 · about 5:05 pm local time
- Place
- Elkin, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech F35 · all F35s on the register
- Registration
- CGGHP · no longer on the register · serial D-4092
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING HIS 1010 WX BRIEFING FOR THE PROPOSED ROUTE OF FLT, THE PLT WAS ADVISED THAT SHOWERS WERE EXPECTED IN WEST VIRGINIA & THAT IT MIGHT NOT BE POSSIBLE TO MAINTAIN VFR BELOW CLOUDS ALONG THE MOUNTAINOUS ROUTE. THE BRIEFER SUGGESTEDAN ALTERNATE ROUTE FURTHER EAST. THE PLT, HOWEVER, FILED A VFR FLT PLAN VIA THE ORIGINALLY PROPOSED WESTERN ROUTE. WITNESSES HEARD ENG SOUNDS AS THE ACFT APPARENTLY APPROACHED A BLACK CLOUD. THE ACFT WAS NOT SEEN, HOWEVER, UNTIL IT SPIRALED OUT OF THE BOTTOM OF THE BLACK CLOUD WITH ONE WING MISSING. A FEW MINUTES AFTER THE ACCIDENT, RAIN BEGAN FALLING & LIGHTNING WAS OBSERVED IN THE CLOUDS. THE 1305 TRI-CITY, TN RADAR PHOTOGRAPH SHOWED THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY NEAR THE ACCIDENT SITE & A LARGE AREA OF THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WEST OF THE ELKIN AREA.
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: 242 hours in all; 25 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,202 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 6, 1983; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-225-8 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CLT Charlotte NC at 4:26 pm
- Destination: PIT Pittsburg PA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.