Government Aircraft Fact (Gaf) N24A accident near Wilmington, North Carolina, May 4, 1990
On May 4, 1990 at about 11:31 am local time, a Government Aircraft Fact (Gaf) N24A, registered N418NE, was destroyed in an accident near Wilmington, North Carolina (New Hanover airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people were 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 SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE DURING A CIRCLING MANEUVER FOR LANDING. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: WEATHER CONDITIONS BELOW MINIMUMS FOR A CIRCLING APPROACH, AND FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO FOLLOW IFR PROCEDURES.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 4, 1990 · about 11:31 am local time
- Place
- Wilmington, North Carolina · New Hanover
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Government Aircraft Fact (Gaf) N24A
- Registration
- N418NE · no longer on the register · serial N24-89
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING ARRIVAL, THE PLT MADE AN ILS LOCALIZER BACKCOURSE APCH TO RWY 16 & WAS CLEARED TO LAND. HE RPRTD HE WAS INITIATING A MISSED APCH. APRX 10 SECONDS LATER, HE RPRTD THE RWY IN SIGHT & REQUESTED A VISUAL APCH TO LAND ON RWY 34. THE PLT WAS CLEARED TO LAND & THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED TO MANEUVER TO THE RIGHT (WEST OF THE RWY), THEN TURN BACK LEFT TO A FINAL APCH. HOWEVER, IT CRASHED SHORT OF RWY 35. AN EXAM OF THE CRASH SITE REVEALED EVIDENCE THAT THE ACFT WAS IN A NORMAL UPRIGHT ATTITUDE ON A HEADING OF 340 DEG, WHEN IT CRASHED. INITIAL IMPACT WAS WITH THE APCH LIGHTING SYSTEM SHORT OF RWY 34. A KING-AIR PLT, WHO LANDED ON RWY 16 BEFORE THE ACDNT, ESTIMATED THE CLOUD BASES WERE ABOUT 400' AGL. MIN DSCNT ALT (MDA) FOR THE BACKCOURSE APCH WAS 460' MSL. MDA FOR A CIRCLING APCH TO RWY 16 WAS 550' MSL. THE ARPT ELEVATION WAS 32'.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,200 hours in all; 99 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,590 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, April 14, 1990; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,250 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Allison 250-B17C (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Dolphin Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: RDU Raleigh NC at 10:41 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 34, 7,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 11:31 am from ILM
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.