Beechcraft 23 N2351Z

Summary

On 19 May 2002 at about 14:20 local time, a Beechcraft 23 registered N2351Z was involved in an accident near King George, Virginia, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

19 May 2002 at 14:20

Classification

Accident

Location

King George, Virginia, United States

Coordinates

38.2522, -77.0919

Aircraft

Beechcraft 23

Registration

N2351Z

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fredericksburg → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC02FA098

3 people died.

The pilot's improper in-flight decision to perform low passes; and his failure to maintain airspeed which resulted in a stall and collision with trees.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot occasionally flew over his friend's residence. On the day of the accident, the friend observed the airplane over his residence, and waved his arms. The pilot waggled the airplane's wings and made one low pass over the residence. During the second circuit, the airplane quickly banked left and rolled out on a southerly heading. It began to lose altitude, and the engine revved to full power, but the airplane continued to lose altitude. The airplane then pitched up about 10 degrees, cleared the friend's house by 25-30 feet, but struck a tree at 50-60 mph. The friend reported that the airplane had a 5-15 mph tailwind at the time of the accident. There was a strong smell of fuel at the accident site and no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions were observed.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.