Boeing A75N accident near Bealeton, Virginia, October 7, 2007
On October 7, 2007 at about 3:43 pm local time, a Boeing A75N, registered N66004, was destroyed in an accident near Bealeton, Virginia (Flying Circus Aerodrome airport). It was an air show or air race flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to conduct performance planning before takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 7, 2007 · about 3:43 pm local time
- Place
- Bealeton, Virginia · Flying Circus Aerodrome · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing A75N · all A75Ns on the register
- Registration
- N66004 · no longer on the register · serial 75-2446
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Air show or air race flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the 1941 Boeing A75N (Stearman) reported that the airplane powered up as expected, "accelerated normally, [and] perhaps [took] a little longer than usual on the takeoff roll." The airplane lifted off the grass strip but would not climb before it struck trees and wires and was destroyed by a postcrash fire. The pilot said that there were no deficiencies in the airplane's performance and handling. When asked what may have caused the accident, the pilot stated that he didn't know but that the high density-altitude, the airplane's high gross weight, and a tailwind "didn't help." Although the performance charts provided by the airplane's owner were for an airplane with a lower gross weight and contained no tailwind adjustment data, the pilot reported that he had never seen the charts and that he did not conduct any performance planning before the takeoff.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,600 hours in all; 27 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: August 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,590 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 2007; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental W670 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 3VA3 Midland VA at 3:43 pm
- Destination: 3VA3
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 2,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 pm from KHEF, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.