NTSB CAROL · Event
Event WPR20CA205
Registry · N8868M
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
BEECH A23
Year of manufacture
1964 · 56 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR IO-346 SERIES (165 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19641106
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AC379B
Registrant of record
BAS PART SALES LLC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot's inability to maintain a climb after an attempted takeoff in high density altitude conditions, which resulted in a forced landing on a road and subsequent landing gear collapse.
Factual narrative
The pilot was departing from an airport where the density altitude was 7,700 feet. While departing with a slight left quartering, the airplane lifted off from the runway near the mid field point and began slowly climbing. Crossing the end of the runway, the airplane yawed and then began to lose altitude. After the airplane exited the airport boundary, which was on a plateau, it continued to lose altitude and descended down the sloped terrain. Unable to gain airspeed or maintain altitude, the pilot initiated a forced landing to a road. During the landing, the right main and nose landing gear collapsed. The right wing and lower fuselage were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Aircraft capability-Climb capability-Not attained/maintained - C
- C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Temp/humidity/pressure-High density altitude-Effect on operation - C
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2020_WPR20CA205.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type. Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NASA NTRS 2026 · Contractor Report (CR)
Icing Physics Studies Using the 3D SIDRM Test Article: 2023 Icing Tests Analysis
In-flight icing is an important safety issue and is a factor that affects aircraft design and performance. Newer regulations are driving a need for improvements in airframe and engine icing simulation…
- Flight Safety Foundation 2024 · FSF / AeroSafety World
Helicopter Safety Performance Data 2023
Foundation 2023 helicopter safety performance data — global accident rates by mission profile (HEMS, off-shore oil, air-tour, agricultural, news/utility).
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2024 · Journal article (IJAAA)
Exploring the atmospheric and weather conditions for hoar frost formation at OR Tambo International Airport: A case study of ground aircraft icing events for the period 2017-2023.
Ground aircraft icing has an adverse effect on the aerodynamic performance of aircrafts as well as the efficient operations of airlines and airports.
- NASA NTRS 2023 · Presentation
NASA Icing Overview 2023
This presentation summarizes NASA icing research for an invited talk to be presented on June 22, 2023, at the SAE International Conference on Icing of Aircraft, Engines, and Structures.
- Flight Safety Foundation 2023 · FSF / AeroSafety World
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) — A 2023 Industry Refresh
Foundation 2023 CFIT data refresh — three decades after the original CFIT Task Force eliminated >95% of air-carrier CFIT, the GA + Part 135 communities still account for most CFIT fatalities.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2023 · Industry report (AQRR)
Airline Quality Rating 2023
The Airline Quality Rating (AQR) was developed and first announced in early 1991 as an objective method for assessing airline quality on combined multiple performance criteria.
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗