Beech 23 accident near Keystone Heights, Florida, September 9, 2019
On September 9, 2019 at about 1:00 pm local time, a 1978 Beech 23, registered N6009U, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near Keystone Heights, Florida (Keystone Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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 maintain clearance from a construction sign during taxi operations.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 9, 2019 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Keystone Heights, Florida · Keystone Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 23 C23, built 1978 · all 23s on the register
- Registration
- N6009U · no longer on the register · serial M-2088
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, after landing on runway 11, he realized runway 5/23 was being used as a taxiway so he back taxied onto runway 23. He saw another airplane taxiing toward him and made several CTAF transmissions to the pilot but received no response. Not knowing the taxiing airplane's intentions, he maneuvered his airplane to the left side of runway 5, and the left wing struck a construction sign. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and aileron. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during taxi defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Sign/marker › Effect on equipment
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 820.7 hours in all; 518 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: September 5, 2019
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,320 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 520 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FL13 Middleburg FL at 12:40 pm
- Destination: 42J Keystone Heights FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 05, 5,046 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 11,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 1:35 pm from K42J
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on January 9, 2020. 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.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N6009U the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.