Focke-Wulf FWP 149D accident near Kenansville, North Carolina, November 17, 2013
On November 17, 2013 at about 10:55 am local time, a 1960 Focke-Wulf FWP 149D, registered N132FW, was destroyed in an accident during approach near Kenansville, North Carolina (Duplin County Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s loss of control in instrument meteorological conditions for reasons that could not be determined because examination of the airframe and engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s self-induced pressure to make the flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 17, 2013 · about 10:55 am local time
- Place
- Kenansville, North Carolina · Duplin County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Focke-Wulf FWP 149D D, built 1960 · all FWP 149Ds on the register
- Registration
- N132FW · no longer on the register · serial 132
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot's wife, the pilot departed on a cross-country flight to attend a friend's funeral. He told her that he intended to stop to purchase fuel at an airport 20 miles from the departure airport. Although she reported that the pilot had indicated to her the night before the accident that he was concerned about a cold front that was moving in, it could not be determined whether he consulted any weather resources before the flight, and there was no record that he obtained an official preflight weather briefing. The pilot departed without filing an instrument flight rules flight plan for the flight; instrument meteorological conditions existed at the time of departure. A witness at the departure airport reported that he observed an airplane taxiing and heard it depart and that the weather at the time was very foggy. A review of air traffic control radar data showed the airplane 1 mile north of the departure airport tracking northwest toward the intended fuel stop destination, and the last radar target was 8 miles northwest of the departure airport. The airplane's wreckage was located in a wooded area resting nose-down at the base of a tree 1/2 mile from the destination airport. All flight control surfaces and major components were located at the accident site. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The reported weather conditions at both airports about the time of the accident included low ceilings and low visibility; fog was reported at the destination airport, and the departure airport had been reporting overcast ceilings at 200 ft above ground level for several hours before the flight departed. It is likely that the pilot placed pressure upon himself to make the flight because he was going to attend his friend's funeral.
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
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during approach defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Fog › Effect on operation
- factor Personnel issues › Psychological › Personality/attitude › Motivation/respond to pressure › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Mental/emotional state › Stress › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Low ceiling › Effect on operation
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Low visibility › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 743 hours in all; 695 in this make and model; 656 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 16, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,763 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, February 19, 2013; 455 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,557 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming-Bmw GO-480-B1A6 (piston); 1,487 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OAJ Jacksonville NC at 10:35 am
- Destination: DPL Kenansville NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 6,002 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 0 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 100 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 am from DPL, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 ERA14FA044.