Beech BE-55 accident near Gainesville, Georgia, September 8, 2007
On September 8, 2007 at about 8:26 pm local time, a Beech BE-55, registered N1751W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gainesville, Georgia (Lee Gilmer Memorial airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 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 attain the proper touchdown point.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 8, 2007 · about 8:26 pm local time
- Place
- Gainesville, Georgia · Lee Gilmer Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech BE-55
- Registration
- N1751W · no longer on the register · serial TC-1497
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the Beech 55 said he was distracted while talking on the radio, and delayed his descent prior to landing on runway 29 at the destination airport. As a result, the airplane was "too high, too fast, and 120 knots over the trees" prior to touchdown on the 4,100-foot long runway. The airplane continued to float, and the pilot determined that he "couldn't go around." The airplane touched down, and continued off the departure end of the runway, down a hill, and impacted a fence. No deficiencies in the performance and handling of the airplane were reported by the pilot.
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 4,974 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Continental IO-470 (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Continental IO-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JZI Charleston SC at 7:25 pm
- Destination: GVL Gainesville GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 4,100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.