Dassault-Breguet FALCON 50 accident near Asheville, North Carolina, November 24, 2008
On November 24, 2008 at about 6:07 pm local time, a Dassault-Breguet FALCON 50, registered N200SG, was substantially damaged in an accident during standing (engine(s) not oper) near Asheville, North Carolina (Asheville Regional Airport). It was a flight test under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 5 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
The pilot's failure to ensure that the airplane's wheels were properly secured before releasing the parking brake.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 24, 2008 · about 6:07 pm local time
- Place
- Asheville, North Carolina · Asheville Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Dassault-Breguet FALCON 50 · all FALCON 50s on the register
- Registration
- N200SG · registry record · serial 239
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The First Officer (FO) said that he spoke to the Pilot-In-Command (PIC) of his intention to get up, open the cabin entry door, and secure the airplane with chocks after landing rollout. The FO got up out of the right cockpit seat and started towards the main entry door in preparation to open the door. He stated that the PIC "also started to leave the cockpit when [the FO] realized that the airplane was rolling and alerted [the PIC] that the airplane was moving." The PIC "got back in the left seat in an attempt to stop the aircraft." The FO stated that the hydraulic pressure was in a "diminished state" and the PIC could not stop the airplane in time to avoid contact with the fence. When asked if he knew why the airplane started to move, he stated that he "believes that his son, [the PIC had] assumed that [he] had opened the entry door and completed chocking the aircraft wheels." According to the FO, the PIC "mistakenly released the parking brake which had been set during the normal shutdown checklist procedure."
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
- Ground collision during standing (engine(s) not oper) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft handling/service › Parking/securing › (general) › Incorrect use/operation
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Communication (personnel) › (general) › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,005 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 31,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme
- Maximum gross weight: 38,800 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Garrett TFE 731 SER (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Garrett TFE 731 SER (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Engine 3: Garrett TFE 731 SER (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: Ingles Markets INC
The flight
- Departed from: AVL Asheville NC at 5:30 pm
- Destination: AVL Asheville NC
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,500 ft; a few clouds at 4,600 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from AVL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 ERA09CA122.