The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Accidents · NTSB WPR16WA186 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Little Eagle LE500 accident near Shijiazhuang City, Cn, September 15, 2016

On September 15, 2016 at about 3:08 am local time, a Little Eagle LE500, registered B9246, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering near Shijiazhuang City. 4 people were killed.

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
September 15, 2016 · about 3:08 am local time
Place
Shijiazhuang City, China · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
4 people were killed.
Weather
not recorded
Aircraft
Little Eagle LE500
Registration
B9246 · no longer on the register
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Flight

The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record

On September 15, 2016, about 0308 Universal Time, a Little Eagle LE500 single-engine airplane, Chinese registration B-9246, impacted flat terrain about 1,640 feet from the approach end of runway 18, at the Luan Cheng General Aviation Airport, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, P.R. China. The pilot and 3 passengers were fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed in a post crash fire. The flight was an exhibition flight that had remained in the pattern at the airport, and had been airborne about 10 minutes when the pilot radioed that there was a malfunction. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) is investigating the accident. As the State of Manufacture of the engine, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has designated a United States accredited representative to assist the CAAC in its investigation. All inquiries concerning this accident should be directed to the CAAC: Civil Aivation Administration of China (CAAC) Aircraft Accident Investigation Division Northern Regional Administration China Tel: +86--0311-8802-7730

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

  1. Unknown or undetermined during maneuvering defining event

The aircraft

  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Fire on the ground

Weather at the time

  • Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew1
Passengers3

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check 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.