Autopilot Confusion, Impairment Cited in Fatal Crash of Aviation Vlogger

NTSB final report details pilot’s struggles with complex Beechcraft Debonair and use of disqualifying meds.

Meg Godlewski

Friday, February 20, 2026 at 04:40 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Beechcraft F33A Debonair [Credit: FLYING Archives]

Key Takeaways:

The NTSB cited a loss of aircraft control, likely due to autopilot misuse and pilot-induced oscillations, as a causal factor in the fatal Beechcraft Debonair crash involving aviation vlogger Jenny Blalock and her father.
Blalock, a relatively new private pilot, struggled with the aircraft's complex autopilot and was noted by flight instructors for poor manual handling, lack of situational awareness, and acquiring an aircraft beyond her skill level.
The NTSB suggested her misunderstanding of the autopilot's manual trim system led to escalating pitch oscillations that she was ultimately unable to control.
Toxicology reports indicated Blalock had ingested disqualifying medications for anxiety and depression that could impair psychomotor and cognitive functions.

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The National Transportation Safety Board has cited a loss of aircraft control possibly attributed to the misuse of the autopilot as one of the causal factors in the crash of a Beechcraft Debonair that killed aviation vlogger Jenny Blalock and her father James in December 2023 near Pulaski, Tennessee.

Blalock, 45, began her aviation training in 2021 and used video cameras in the cockpit to document her experiences on her YouTube channel, TNFlygirl.