Beech A36 accident near Roanoke, Virginia, August 13, 1996
On August 13, 1996 at about 4:20 am local time, a Beech A36, registered N1795W, was destroyed in an accident near Roanoke, Virginia (Roanoke Regional airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to follow the published instrument approach procedures, and his delayed missed approach, which resulted in an inflight collision with mountainous terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 13, 1996 · about 4:20 am local time
- Place
- Roanoke, Virginia · Roanoke Regional
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech A36 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N1795W · no longer on the register · serial E-381
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight was cleared for the ILS runway 33 approach and was approved a frequency change, which the pilot acknowledged. Radar data revealed that the flight was left of the localizer course and above the glide slope throughout the entire approach. The flight then over flew the airport at 4,100 feet to the northwest with a continuous descent. The pilot's last recorded transmission, which ended abruptly, was his intentions to execute the missed approach, at which time the radar data showed the flight about 5 miles northwest of the airport at 2,700 feet. The wreckage was located about 5 miles northwest of the airport at an approximate elevation of 2,600 feet. Examination of the wreckage did not disclose evidence of a mechanical malfunction with the airframe or engine. According to the instrument approach plate, for the ILS runway 33 approach, the missed approach point was located prior to the runway threshold at a decision height of 1,660 feet.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,013 hours in all; 82 in this make and model; 1,832 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,263 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 2, 1996; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CLT Charlotte NC at 3:30 am
- Destination: ROA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 33, 5,800 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 010° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,300 ft; scat at 900 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:18 am from ROA, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.