Beechcraft BE-23-B24R N68HW

Summary

On 10 October 2000 at about 18:00 local time, a Beechcraft BE-23-B24R registered N68HW was involved in an accident near Fork Union, Virginia, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 October 2000 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Fork Union, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

F.u.m.a. Airport (VA36)

Coordinates

37.7603, -78.2594

Aircraft

Beechcraft BE-23-B24R

Registration

N68HW

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Norfolk → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC01LA008

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate flare which resulted in a hard landing. A factor related to the accident was the uneven landing area condition.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane touched down on its main landing gear prior to a dirt road that crossed the runway, followed by the nose gear touching down about 18 feet farther. The pilot felt the nose gear fail and attempted to keep the nose of the airplane off the ground. The airplane then veered to the right, impacted a tree and came to rest in a wooded area. A Federal Aviation Administration Inspector examined fractured pieces of the nose wheel assembly, which were found on the ground prior to the dirt road that crossed the runway. The inspector did not observe any beach marks, fracture lines, corrosion, or progressive scoring on the fracture surfaces. The inspector added that the fracture surfaces were "clean, typical of overload failure." The inspector additionally stated that the runway had a down-sloping crown on both ends of the runway. The pilot did not report any previous problems with the nose gear and that the turf was in good condition. The pilot additionally stated that, while flaring, "when you drop the nose, the runway is higher than normal."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.