Cessna 170B accident near Beckley, West Virginia, July 2, 1996
On July 2, 1996 at about 4:15 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N8099A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Beckley, West Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 3 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilots decision to continue flying from VFR to IMC conditions which subsequently forced him to make a precautionary landing onto unsuitable terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 2, 1996 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Beckley, West Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 3 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N8099A · no longer on the register · serial 20951
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that en route to Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina he encountered severe rain and thunderstorms near Beckley, West Virginia. He said that the weather was so severe that he could not continue on to Beckley where he intended to land and wait out the storm. The pilot said that he spotted a hay field and made a precautionary landing. During the landing the aircraft struck a tree with the left wing and nosed into the ground causing substantial damage to the aircraft.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 3,500 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,090 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 4, 1995; 53 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-145 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GAS Gallipolis OH at 3:00 pm
- Destination: FFA Kill Devil Hill NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,700 ft; scat
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:24 pm from KBK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 |
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.