Beech A24R accident near Owls Head, New York, December 5, 1990
On December 5, 1990 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Beech A24R, registered CGJKL, was destroyed in an accident near Owls Head, New York. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC). FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS, ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 5, 1990 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Owls Head, New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech A24R · all A24Rs on the register
- Registration
- CGJKL · no longer on the register · serial MC-48
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PRIVATE PILOT ATTEMPTED VFR FLIGHT AT NIGHT INTO AN AREA OF ADVERSE WEATHER. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 2600 FT. TERRAIN IN THAT AREA ROSE TO AN ELEVATION OF 2856 FT. AN EXAM OF THE CRASH SITE REVEALED INDICATIONS THAT THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED IN A WINGS LEVEL & SLIGHT NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. WEATHER FOR THE ROUTE AND DESTINATION WAS REPORTED BELOW VFR MINIMUMS. ABOUT 35 MILES AWAY AT THE NEAREST WEATHER FACILITY (ELEVATION 214 FEET MSL), THE REPORTED WEATHER WAS: 2000 FT BROKEN AND 10 MILES VISIBILITY. LOCAL RESIDENTS OBSERVED HEAVY SNOW SQUALLS AND HIGH WIND THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
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: 220 hours in all; 172 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,223 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 10, 1989; 172 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,749 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: YKZ Buttonville at 8:57 pm
- Destination: BTV Burlington VT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.