North American Navion accident near Clayton, North Carolina, September 21, 2007
On September 21, 2007 at about 2:10 pm local time, a North American Navion, registered N8844H, was destroyed in an accident near Clayton, North Carolina. 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 intentional abrupt maneuver during low altitude cruise flight to avoid obstructions ahead, resulting in an in-flight collision with terrain and a building. Contributing to the accident were the failure of the pilot to obtain a preflight weather briefing and his flight into known IMC.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 21, 2007 · about 2:10 pm local time
- Place
- Clayton, North Carolina
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- North American Navion · all Navions on the register
- Registration
- N8844H · no longer on the register · serial NAV-4-844
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The instrument rated pilot who had not logged any actual instrument flight time did not obtain any preflight weather briefing with either Lockheed Martin FSS or DUATS. Instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) due to low ceilings and visibility were forecast to exist between the departure airport and the crash site location, though VFR conditions existed at the destination airport at both the departure time and estimated time of arrival. The flight departed under VFR, and proceeded in a northeasterly direction to a point approximately 59 nautical miles north-northeast from the departure airport where it was identified on radar. The flight was observed on radar for 55 nautical miles, and never flew higher than 800 feet pressure altitude. The flight continued in a northeasterly direction gradually descending while the terrain elevation gradually increased. A ceiling of broken clouds at 400 feet above ground level (agl) was noted at an airport 21 nautical miles from the crash site. For the last 9 minutes 31 seconds of the flight, the ground speed never decreased less than 110 knots. The airplane descended to 265 feet agl, and at the last radar return, which was located 0.18 nautical miles from the crash site, the ground speed was 130 knots. While approaching an antenna tower and water tower which were ahead of the flight path and 215 and 185 feet agl, respectively, the pilot banked hard to the right, and with the engine operating at approximately 2,300 rpm, the airplane impacted the parking lot of a restaurant. The airplane crashed into the restaurant, and was fragmented. A fire erupted at impact and the restaurant sustained impact and fire damage. Examination of the airframe, flight controls, engine, engine accessories, and propeller revealed no evidence of preimpact 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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 354 hours in all; 4 in the last 90 days; 332 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,184.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BB (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: HYW Conway SC at 1:16 pm
- Destination: CJR Culpeper VA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 400 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 2:05 pm from RDU, 21 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.