Beechcraft 390 accident near Leesburg, Virginia, February 13, 2008
On February 13, 2008 at about 1:55 am local time, a Beechcraft 390, registered N16DK, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Leesburg, Virginia (Leesburg Executive Airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The airplane's runway excursion during landing roll following an encounter with ice. Contributing to the accident was the ice-covered runway, and the airport personnel's lack of knowledge regarding the runway condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 13, 2008 · about 1:55 am local time
- Place
- Leesburg, Virginia · Leesburg Executive Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beechcraft 390
- Registration
- N16DK · registry record · serial RB-19
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The business jet touched down near the threshold of the 5,500-foot-long, asphalt runway, at an airspeed of 100 knots. The pilot reported the braking effectiveness as "adequate" initially, and as the airplane approached the mid-field position of the runway, the braking effectiveness decreased until it was "near nil," and the airplane was no longer decelerating. The pilot maneuvered the airplane off the left side of the runway to gain traction from the adjacent grass area, during which it impacted a drainage ditch, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane. The area off the end of the runway was an open field with no obstructions. Examination of the runway revealed it was covered in black ice, with a thin layer of water. The weather reported at the time of the accident included 5 miles visibility with light snow. An employee of the fixed base operator (FBO) at the airport reported that at the time of the accident the main ramp and taxiways were coated with 1/4 to 1/2 inch of ice from earlier precipitation. The airport manager reported that, about 1.5 hours prior to the accident, when he was leaving for the day, the forecast was for little or no precipitation and the temperature was expected to increase. However, the temperature decreased instead, resulting in the formation of ice on the runway. The airport manager reported at the time of the accident the north end of runway 17 was dry; however, the south end of runway 17 had "some ice on it." The normal procedure for the airport to treat ice on the runway was to issue a NOTAM to close the runway and deploy their ice melt product. Then, they would cancel the NOTAM and issue another one stating that ice is present on the runway. Because the temperature was forecast to rise and not fall, the airport did not use any ice melt product on the runway. Additionally the airport personnel did not have the equipment or training to issue braking action reports, nor was it required. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical deficiencies with the airplane.
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
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa › Snow/slush/ice covered › Ability to respond/compensate
- factor Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa › Snow/slush/ice covered › Awareness of condition
- factor Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Knowledge › Knowledge of meteorologic cond › Airport personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Williams FJ44 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Williams FJ44 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Deka Research & Development Corp
The flight
- Departed from: BEC Wichita KS
- Destination: JYO Leesburg VA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 17, 5,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,100 ft
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 2:00 am from JYO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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.
Other NTSB records under N16DK the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 NYC08LA099.