Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Greensboro, North Carolina
Textron; Wichita, Kansas
Location: Pinnacle, NC
Accident Number: ERA21FA237
Date & Time: June 1, 2021, 17:21 Local
Registration: N8780M
Aircraft: Beech A23
Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Instructional
On June 1, 2021, about 1720 eastern daylight time, a Beech A23, N8780M, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Pinnacle, North Carolina. The student pilot was fatally injured and the flight instructor sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight.
A review of preliminary Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data revealed that the flight departed runway 22 at Smith Reynolds Airport (INT), Winston Salem, North Carolina about 1641. The airplane made a right turn and tracked northwest, then east, performing a series of turns, climbs, and descents, consistent with maneuvering flight. About 1718, while flying on an easterly track, the airplane entered a right descending 270° turn from about 2,100 ft msl. The last ADS-B target was observed at 1719 as the airplane descended through 1,075 ft msl at a groundspeed of 64 knots, about 16 miles northwest of INT. The local elevation at the accident site was about 1,000 ft.
Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane impacted a grass field on a residential property. The wreckage debris path was about 65 ft-long and oriented on a magnetic heading of 287°. There was no postimpact fire and all major structural components of the airplane were located within the debris field. All flight control cables were continuous from the cockpit controls to the control surfaces. Manual manipulation of the aileron, stabilator and rudder cables operated their respective control surfaces. The outboard portion of the left wing came to rest inverted and next to the inboard portion of the wing. The left wing was impact-separated from the fuselage at the wing root, the aileron cables remained attached. The empennage separated from the fuselage and came to rest behind the cabin, the elevator and rudder cables remained attached. The engine was partially separated, the fuel hoses, throttle and mixture control cables remained attached. The nose and right main landing gear were separated.
The engine fuel supply system remained intact. The fuel boost pump switch lever was fracture separated, but the remaining portion was in the “ON” position. The left fuel tank was breached, the right fuel tank remained intact and contained about 1 pint of aviation fuel which was free of water and debris. Grass blighting was evident at the initial left wing impact location and continued along the wreckage path to the main wreckage. The fuel outlet strainers in each wing, and all fuel supply lines and vents were free of obstructions. The fuel flow divider and fuel injector lines did not contain any fuel. The fuel flow divider was disassembled and found to be free of debris. The fuel line from the engine-driven fuel pump to the fuel metering assembly contained fuel and the line from the fuel metering assembly to the flow divider contained a small amount of fuel. The fuel selector valve contained a small amount of fuel. None of the fuel supply lines from the firewall forward were breached. The electric fuel boost pump was removed and hooked up to a power supply; it was successfully operated and pumped water.
Both magnetos were removed and manually operated. The right and left magnetos produced spark on all leads. The top spark plugs were in new condition when compared to a Champion Spark Aviation CheckA-Plug chart AV-27. The engine was manually rotated through several 720-degrees of rotation; continuity was confirmed and thumb compression was verified on all cylinders. Each of the cylinder valves appeared well lubricated and their associated rockers and springs functioned smoothly. There were 6 quarts of oil inside the crankcase and the oil filter was cut open and the filter pleats were free of any ferrous material or debris. The propeller remained attached to the crankshaft flange. Blade A was unremarkable, and Blade B was uniformly bent aft around the engine. Blade B was cut from the hub to facilitate engine rotation. Neither blade exhibited leading edge gouging or polishing.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: Beech
Registration: N8780M
Model/Series: A23
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Operator Designator Code:
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: VMC
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: MWK,1247 ft msl
Observation Time: 16:15 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 11 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 24°C /13°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Scattered / 4900 ft AGL
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 4 knots / , 200°
Lowest Ceiling:
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.25 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Winston Salem, NC (INT)
Destination: Pinnacle, NC
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Serious
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Serious
Latitude, Longitude: 36.34076,-80.39283
Those who may have information that might be relevant to the National Transportation Safety Board investigation may contact them by email eyewitnessreport@ntsb.gov, and any friends and family who want to contact investigators about the accident should email assistance@ntsb.gov.
Michael Thomas "Tom" Turner, II
1988 - 2021
Michael Thomas Turner, II “Tom” was born on August 29, 1988 and grew up right here in Kernersville, where he graduated from Glenn High School in 2006 and went on to UNCG, where he graduated with a BA in Biology and Psychology in 2011. Tom started his own business, West Mountain Pawn, where he was able to realize his passion of helping others.
Tom loved life and lived his life to the fullest. He loved to travel and has many friends across the country and was loved by all that knew him. One of Tom’s passions was an annual event in the Nevada Desert “Burning Man” where people from all over the world come to spend time with friends that become their extended families. He will be missed and remembered by all that knew him as “Just Tom” the one who would always listen with a compassionate ear or lend you a shoulder to cry on. He will truly be missed.
Tom would want us to celebrate the time we had with him and not dwell on the loss of the unmade memories to come. He lived a full life and in the short 32 years, he had a profound impact to those that had the opportunity to know him for the beautiful person he was.
Tom is survived by his parents, Michael and Glenda Turner; grandparents, Harold and Judy Turner, and Belva Crum; girlfriend Christine “Olive” Meyer; aunts and uncles, Teresa Lester, and Roger Payne; cousins, William and Maggie Turner, Marilyn and Martin Payne, Elizabeth Flores, Rosie and Jimmy Hall, and Alexzandreia Payne.
Funeral services celebrating his life will be held 2:00 p.m. Sunday, June 6, 2021 at the Pierce-Jefferson Funeral Services Kernersville Chapel with Rev. John Shields officiating. The family will greet friends immediately following the service at the funeral home. Interment will be private at Mt. Gur Cemetery, Kernersville, NC.
Friends and family may view and sign the guestbook at www.pierce-jeffersonfuneralservice.com
Authorities have released the identities of the two people who were on board a small plane that crashed Tuesday in Stokes County.
Michael Thomas Turner, 57, of Kernersville died in the crash, and Samantha Welborn, 24, of Boonville was injured, the N.C. Highway Patrol said.
The Beechcraft A23 Musketeer II crashed at 5:21 p.m. in a field near 1170 Almas Lane in the Pinnacle community.
Welborn, the pilot of the plane, is a certified flight instructor at Piedmont Flight Training, which is at Smith Reynolds Airport in Winston-Salem, said her grandfather, Marion Welborn of Boonville. Turner was the passenger.
Welborn is being treated in the intensive-care unit at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. She has injuries to her face, jaw, hand and knee, her grandfather said.
"She's in a little bit of pain," Marion Welborn said. "She's lucky to be alive."
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.
Samantha Welborn told her grandfather that the plane's engine stopped operating, causing it to crash, Marion Welborn said.