N6461U

On July 20, 1996, at 1500 eastern daylight time, a Beech 58P, N6461U, collided with trees on the departure end of runway 12 at the Elk River Airport in Banner Elk, North Carolina. The personal flight operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage, and the pilot was not injured. The flight departed Chapel Hill, North Carolina, at 1400.

Upon arriving in the Banner Elk Airport area, the pilot established a traffic pattern for runway 12. He stated that, due to the high terrain features around the airport, runway 12 was the preferred runway for landings. The airplane touched down about 1,000 feet beyond the approach end of the 4,600 foot long runway. As the airplane rolled toward the end of the runway, the pilot applied heavy braking that resulted in a blown main landing gear tire. The airplane rolled off the departure end of the runway and down an embankment, and collided with a tree.

According to the BE-58P airplane specification and performance data, at gross weight, the airplane would require approximately 1500 feet of runway for a normal landing roll. No mechanical problems were reported by the pilot.