Beech A23 accident near Tarboro, North Carolina, September 20, 1996
On September 20, 1996 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Beech A23, registered N8879M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tarboro, North Carolina. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
fatigue failure of the propeller blade. Factors relating to the accident were: corrosion pit(s) on the propeller blade, and inadequate maintenance/inspection of the propeller.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 20, 1996 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Tarboro, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A23 · all A23s on the register
- Registration
- N8879M · registry record · serial M-626
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During cruise flight, about half of one propeller blade separated from the airplane, resulting in substantial damage. An uneventful landing was made to a nearby airport. Metallurgical examination of the propeller blade revealed that it had failed from fatigue; the fatigue originated from a single corrosion pit on the camber side of the blade. Other corrosion pits were also noted on the camber side of the remaining portion of the blade. There was no record in the airplane log that the propeller had been reconditioned since its installation. The propeller was manufactured in September 1963 and sold to Beech Aircraft Corporation in August 1964. The airplane was manufactured in December 1964 and had accumulated 1851 hours of flight time. The propeller manufacturer recommended that the propeller be reconditioned after each 1,000 hours of operation.
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: 2,000 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 2,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,851 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 11, 1996; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-346-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: W65 Lake Ridge NC at 3:30 pm
- Destination: MCZ Williamston NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from RWI, 18 miles away
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.
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 ATL96LA131.