Beech H-18 accident near Morganton, North Carolina, February 26, 1992
On February 26, 1992 at about 1:26 pm local time, a Beech H-18, registered N347G, was destroyed in an accident near Morganton, North Carolina (Morganton-Lenoir airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO FOLLOW FAR AND COMPANY PROCEDURES, AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN PROPER ALTITUDE DURING THE APPROACH. FACTORS WERE THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN CONDITIONS, AND THE FOGGY, LOW CEILING WEATHER CONDITIONS EXISTING AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 26, 1992 · about 1:26 pm local time
- Place
- Morganton, North Carolina · Morganton-Lenoir · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech H-18 · all H-18s on the register
- Registration
- N347G · registry record · serial BA-654
- 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
THE COMMERCIAL PILOT WAS ON A PART 135 CARGO FLIGHT. SINCE THE DESTINATION AIRPORT HAD NO WEATHER REPORTING FACILITY, COMPANY POLICY AND FAR 135 REQUIRED A VFR DESCENT AND LANDING FROM THE MVA. THE PILOT REQUESTED AND RECEIVED CLEARANCE FOR A LOCALIZER APPROACH TO THE AIRPORT, ALTHOUGH A NEARBY AIRPORT WAS REPORTING 400' BROKEN/3 MILES WITH FOG. THE PILOT REPORTED TO ATC THAT HE HAD MISSED HIS FIRST APPROACH, AND REQUESTED A SECOND APPROACH TO THE SAME AIRPORT. AFTER EXECUTING THE MISSED APPROACH, THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED MOUNTAINOUS TERRIAN WHILE ALIGNED WITH THE EXTENDED CENTERLINE OF THE LOCALIZER. CAP PERSONNEL REPORTED THAT THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS OBSCURED IN CLOUDS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED ABOUT 1,500 FEET BELOW A MINIMUM ALTITUDE ON THE FIRST APPROACH ATTEMPT. MODE C ALTITUDE DATA WAS LOST DURING THE MISSED APPROACH. FOUR YEARS EARLIER, THIS PILOT DESCENDED BELOW GLIDEPATH ON AN ILS APPROACH AND CRASHED INTO TREES WITH WEATHER BELOW APPROACH MINIMUMS.
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: 10,000 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 52 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13,506 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 14, 1991; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W R985-14B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Piedmont Air Cargo, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: CLT Charlotte NC at 12:37 pm
- Destination: MRN Morganton NC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 3, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:30 pm from HKY, 18 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ATL92FA049.