Beech C23 accident near Athens, Alabama, December 15, 1984
On December 15, 1984 at about 9:10 pm local time, a Beech C23, registered N2074X, was destroyed in an accident near Athens, Alabama. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- December 15, 1984 · about 9:10 pm local time
- Place
- Athens, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech C23 · all C23s on the register
- Registration
- N2074X · no longer on the register · serial M2140
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED DOING TRAINING STALL TYPE MANEUVERS IN THE AREA SHORTLY BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. IT WAS THEN OBSERVED IN A STEEP RIGHT DESCENDING TURN, CROSSING A PAVED ROAD AT LOW ALT AND STRIKING THE GROUND WITH THE RIGHT WING TIP. THE BOTTOM OF THE ACFT NOSE THEN STRUCK THE GROUND AND THEN THE LOW ROAD EMBANKMENT. THE ACFT BURNED AFTER THE FINAL IMPACT. EVIDENCE SHOWS LOW TO NO ENGINE PWR AT IMPACT. AMBIENT ATMOSPHERIC CONDITONS WERE FAVORABLE FOR CARB ICE FORMATION. THE CARB HEAT CONTROLS WERE FOUND INTHE COLD POSITION. THE ICING PROBABILITY CURVES SHOW THAT SERIOUS CARBURETOR ICING COULD OCCUR AFTER 15 MINUTES CONTINUOUS OPERATION IN THE EXISTING CONDITIONS.
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: 1,074 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 116 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 993 as pilot in command; 709 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 440 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 21, 1984; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4K (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Huntsville Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: HSV Huntsville AL at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,900 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:25 pm from HSV, 201 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.