Cessna 400 accident near Huntington, West Virginia, July 5, 2009
On July 5, 2009 at about 4:56 pm local time, a Cessna 400, registered N207JB, was destroyed in an accident during enroute (climb to cruise) near Huntington, West Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane due to spatial disorientation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 5, 2009 · about 4:56 pm local time · cases in 2009
- Place
- Huntington, West Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 400
- Registration
- N207JB · registry record · serial 41564
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The instrument-rated private pilot, departed the airport on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan under daytime instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) with overcast clouds 800 feet (ft) above ground level. The airport elevation was 828 feet mean sea level (msl). Radar data showed the airplane climbed to an altitude of 1,500 ft mean sea level (msl), before initiating a right-hand turn as the pilot had been instructed. The pilot's communications with air traffic control were routine until he failed to acknowledge the controller's instruction to continue the turn and to climb to 5,000 ft msl. Radar data showed that the airplane climbed to 2,300 ft msl, turned left, and started to descend. Radar contact was lost after the plane descended below 2,200 ft msl. The airplane struck trees 3.5 miles south of the airport at an elevation of 850 ft msl, and was in a left wing low 50 degree nose down pitch attitude during the impact sequence. A postaccident examination of the airplane and engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation, and the propeller showed impact damage consistent with operating at high power. Based on the observed weather in the area, the pilot would have been in IMC shortly after initiating his right-hand turn. The IMC flight conditions, radar track, power settings, and impact attitude are consistent with the pilot experiencing spatial disorientation.
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
- Loss of control in flight during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusio › Spatial disorientation › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 642 hours in all; 184 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 512 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 583 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 9, 2009; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental Motors TSIO-550-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HTS Huntington WV at 4:54 pm
- Destination: AZO Kalamazoo MI
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 4:51 pm from HTS, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
21 documents, released by the NTSB on June 17, 2011. 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.
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N207JB the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N207JB on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Teledyne Continental Motors TSIO-550-C 479 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Tri-State/Milton J Ferguson Field · departed from
- Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in West Virginia 424 since 1982 · 54 in the last ten years
- West Virginia 885 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N207JB 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA09FA377.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.