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Accidents · NTSB ERA09CA122 · Final report

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).

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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
November 24, 2008 · about 6:07 pm local time · cases in 2008
Place
Asheville, North Carolina · Asheville Regional Airport · cases near this 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

  1. 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

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew2
Passengers3

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.

Connections how this case links to the rest of the register

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Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA09CA122.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.