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Accidents · NTSB ERA19LA247 · Final report

Fantasy Air ALLEGRO accident near Boone, North Carolina, August 14, 2019

On August 14, 2019 at about 12:41 pm local time, a 2005 Fantasy Air ALLEGRO, registered N5020X, was destroyed in an accident during approach near Boone, North Carolina. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The reported total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
August 14, 2019 · about 12:41 pm local time
Place
Boone, North Carolina · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
1 person was killed.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Fantasy Air ALLEGRO 2000, built 2005
Registration
N5020X · no longer on the register · serial 05-216
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

Several witnesses noted the airplane was flying but did not hear an engine sound while it was in the traffic pattern of an airstrip adjacent to the pilot’s house. Witnesses reported hearing the airplane impact terrain. A postcrash fire occurred. The pilot was able to self-extricate himself and informed a first responder and medical personnel that he was "circling to land and the engine bogged down." Examination of the wreckage found the cockpit and inboard portions of the wings were consumed by the postcrash fire; there was no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction of the flight controls for roll, pitch, and yaw. Examination of the engine revealed no evidence of failure or malfunction of the powertrain, but heat damage to the fuel metering, ignition, and cooling systems precluded determining whether there was any preexisting issue with those systems. While the pilot’s autopsy found severe atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, he initially survived the accident and did not experience a loss of consciousness; thus, sudden incapacitation was not a factor. Medication found in his system was the result of postaccident medical intervention. Personal medical records revealed that the pilot had a stroke about 2 months prior to the crash that resulted in the loss of his right visual fields. The condition, called homonymous hemianopsia, causes difficulty in visual-motor control and perception in space. However, without knowledge of the intended flight pattern and timing of the reported loss of engine power, it could not be determined whether the pilot’s homonymous hemianopsia contributed to the accident.

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. Loss of engine power (total) during approach defining event
  2. Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during unknown
  3. Fire/smoke (post-impact) during post (impact)

The NTSB's findings

  • Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined

Pilot

  • Certificate: private
  • Ratings: single-engine land
  • Flight time: 1,200 hours in all
  • Medical certificate: Class 3
  • Seat: unk
  • Injury: fatal

The aircraft

  • Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
  • Maximum gross weight: 1,232 lb
  • Seats: 2
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Rotax 912UL (piston); 0 hours total
  • Fire on the ground

The flight

  • Departed from: Boone NC
  • Flight plan: none

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Visibility: 1.2 statute miles
  • Sky: broken clouds at 100 ft
  • Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
  • Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
  • Observation at 12:45 pm from KHKY, 33 miles away

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew1

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

10 documents, released by the NTSB on March 8, 2022. 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.

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.