Beech C23 accident near Mansfield, Louisiana, January 1, 2024
On January 1, 2024 at about 8:40 pm local time, a Beech C23, registered N9729L, was destroyed in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Mansfield, Louisiana (C e 'Rusty' Williams airport). It was a personal 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The nose landing gear collapse and postimpact fire due to undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 1, 2024 · about 8:40 pm local time · cases in 2024
- Place
- Mansfield, Louisiana · C e 'Rusty' Williams · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech C23 · all C23s on the register
- Registration
- N9729L · registry record · serial M-1356
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that she conducted a normal, full flap landing to the runway. After touchdown, the airplane’s nose landing gear collapsed, and a postimpact fire ensued after the airplane skidded to a stop. The airplane was destroyed by the postimpact fire which precluded a postaccident examination of the nose landing gear system. An airport surveillance video appeared to show the airplane bounce and porpoise several times before the airplane came to rest. Due to the poor quality of the surveillance video and lack of available evidence, the reason for the nose landing gear collapse and postimpact fire during landing sequence could not be determined.
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
What happened, in order
- Landing gear collapse during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Fire/smoke (post-impact) during post (impact)
The NTSB's findings
- Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail landing gear › Unknown/Not determined other cases naming the landing gear
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 200 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 25 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 21, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,640 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-AUG (piston); 1,640 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: DTN Shreveport LA at 8:18 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 5,005 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on February 8, 2024. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Conversation - FAA Inspector | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Airport Surveillance Video | MOV file | Download |
| 4 | Investigation Photograph | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N9729L on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Beechcraft C23 Sundowner 456 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Beechcraft 6 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-AUG 1,067 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- C E 'Rusty' Williams Airport · nearest airport
- Shreveport Downtown Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Louisiana 1,274 since 1982 · 189 in the last ten years
- Louisiana 3,734 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN24LA075.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.