Beech BE-23 accident near Point Pleasant, West Virginia, February 8, 2002
On February 8, 2002 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Beech BE-23, registered N18325, was substantially damaged in an accident near Point Pleasant, West Virginia (Mason County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An inadvertent collision with a deer while landing at dusk. A factor in the accident was the dusk light condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 8, 2002 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Point Pleasant, West Virginia · Mason County · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech BE-23
- Registration
- N18325 · registry record · serial M2336
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was landing in dusk light conditions, when just before touchdown the airplane struck a deer with its right wing. The airplane sustained damage to the right wing leading edge, near the fuel tank.
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: 250 hours in all
- Last flight review: July 12, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,120 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 6, 2001; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 312 Ravenswood WV
- Destination: Ravenswood WV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 4,001 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 210° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from PKB, 40 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.