Piper PA-31-325 accident near Belvidere, North Carolina, December 14, 2000
On December 14, 2000 at about 6:03 pm local time, a Piper PA-31-325, registered N120JB, was destroyed in an accident near Belvidere, 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 pilot's failure to maintain airplane control due to spatial disorientation while maneuvering in instrument meteorological conditions resulting in the airplane entering a descending turn and crashing into terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 14, 2000 · about 6:03 pm local time
- Place
- Belvidere, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-325 · all PA-31-325s on the register
- Registration
- N120JB · registry record · serial 31-7612050
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight was maneuvering in instrument meteorological conditions and was observed on radar making climbing and descending turns prior to making a final descending turn and being lost from radar. Examination of the crash site showed the airplane had impacted the terrain in a about a 90-degree nose down attitude. The crash site was about .09 miles from the last radar contact, when the airplane was 2,000 feet above ground level. Post crash examination of the airplane structure, flight controls, engines, propellers, and airplane systems showed no evidence of pre-crash failure or malfunction.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 647 hours in all; 336 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 487 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,903 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 29, 2000; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,500 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-J2B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: VRB Vero Beach FL at 2:52 pm
- Destination: EDE Edenton NC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 129°F (54°C), dew point 126°F (52°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from ECG, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
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.