Beech C24R accident near Sylva, North Carolina, August 26, 2009
On August 26, 2009 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Beech C24R, registered N770DL, was destroyed in an accident during approach (VFR go-around) near Sylva, North Carolina (Jackson County Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed during an aborted landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 26, 2009 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Sylva, North Carolina · Jackson County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech C24R · all C24Rs on the register
- Registration
- N770DL · no longer on the register · serial MC-689
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Following the 3-hour-and-40-minute, instrument-flight-rules, cross-country flight, the pilot approached the destination airport. The airplane descended from 9,400 feet mean sea level (msl) to 3,100 feet msl and entered the traffic pattern on a right downwind leg for runway 33. The pilot flew a low approach over the runway and then entered a left traffic pattern about 350 feet above the airport elevation. The pilot again approached the runway and slowed the airplane from 91 knots to 60 knots, and a witness observed the airplane touch down on the runway before it proceeded out of his view. The airplane impacted a wooded area beyond the departure end of the runway inverted and in a nose-down attitude. The airplane's recorded groundspeed for the final portion of the flight never exceeded 63 knots, and the calculated stall speed was 61 knots calibrated airspeed. The winds reported at an airport 12 nautical miles southwest were a left quartering tailwind at 3 knots. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures.
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 approach (VFR go-around) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,223 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,758 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Lovins Branch & Company PC
The flight
- Departed from: 1H0 St. Louis MO at 2:20 pm
- Destination: 24A Sylva NC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 33, 3,003 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
- Observation at 6:00 pm from 1A5, 12 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
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.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.