Beech 95-B55 accident near Jasper, Alabama, June 29, 2008
On June 29, 2008 at about 12:56 pm local time, a Beech 95-B55, registered N727BC, was destroyed in an accident during initial climb near Jasper, Alabama (Walker County Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's intentional visual flight into known instrument meteorological conditions, resulting in spatial disorientation and a subsequent loss of control in flight. Contributing to the accident was the overweight and aft-center-of-gravity condition of the airplane at takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 29, 2008 · about 12:56 pm local time
- Place
- Jasper, Alabama · Walker County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 95-B55 · all 95-B55s on the register
- Registration
- N727BC · registry record · serial TC2446
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-instrument-rated pilot overloaded his airplane and intentionally departed into an overcast ceiling without filing a flight plan. The radar target identified as the accident airplane diverged from its intended southerly course to an S-shaped northerly track, and climbed and descended between 1,300 feet and 2,600 feet at speeds that varied between 100 knots and 160 knots. The final radar targets depicted a descent and were clustered approximately over the crash site, 1 mile west of the departure airport. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical anomalies. According to Federal Aviation Administration Advisory Circular 61-134, one of the leading causes of general aviation accidents is "continued VFR [visual flight rules] flight into IMC [instrument meteorological conditions]... The importance of complete weather information, understanding the significance of the weather information, and being able to correlate the pilot's skills and training, aircraft capabilities, and operating environment with an accurate forecast cannot be emphasized enough... VFR pilots in reduced visual conditions may develop spatial disorientation and lose control..." It was reported that the pilot had operated under VFR in IMC on several occasions prior to the accident.
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
What happened, in order
- VFR encounter with IMC during initial climb
- Loss of control in flight during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusio › Spatial disorientation › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Weight/balance calculations › Pilot
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Aircraft capability › Maximum weight › Capability exceeded
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Aircraft capability › CG/weight distribution › Capability exceeded
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Below VFR minima › Decision related to condition
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 539 hours in all; 222 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: May 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,756 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2008; 39 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Teledyne Continental IO-470L (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Teledyne Continental IO470L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JFX Jasper AL at 12:51 pm
- Destination: JKA Gulf Shores AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 5,003 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Observation at 12:56 pm from 1M4, 26 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number NYC08FA231.