Beechcraft 58 N7230R

Summary

On 6 December 1984 at about 09:34 local time, a Beechcraft 58 registered N7230R was involved in an accident near Charleston, South Carolina, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

6 December 1984 at 09:34

Classification

Accident

Location

Charleston, South Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Charleston Executive (JZI)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Beechcraft 58

Registration

N7230R

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Columbia → Charleston

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

ATL85MA049

1 person died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

PLT DESCENDED BELOW MDA DURING A NIGHT VOR (NON-PRECISION) APCH TO AN UNCONTROLLED ARPT AND COLLIDED WITH TREES & GROUNDWHICH WERE OBSCURED BY FOG. THE PLT HAD 'PUSHED' HIMSELF TO MAKE THE TRIP ACCORDING TO FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES IN AN ATTEMPT TO WIN AN ELECTION RESULT APPEAL. HIS LAWYERS REPORTEDLY ARGUED THAT THE TRIP ON THE ACCIDENT NIGHT WAS NOT URGENT & THE MISSION COULD BE ACCOMPLISHED BY OTHER MEANS. THE PLT INSISTED ON GOING TO DO THE JOB HIMSELF IN SPITE OF THE KNOWN ADVERSE WX. THE PHYSICAL STRAIN & FATIGUE WERE APPARENT ACCORDING TO FRIENDS WHO HAD 'GIVEN UP', THEY SAID, INTRYING TO STOP HIM FROM OVER EXERTION & LENGTHY WORK DAYS. THE TOXICOLOGY REPORTS SHOWED EVIDENCE OF A DRUG NAMED METHAMPHETAMINE COMMONLY CALLED 'SPEED'. HIS WIFE DENIED ANY KNOWLEDGE OF THE DRUG & HIS DOCTOR DENIED PRESCRIBING IT. IT IS NOT LEGALLY OBTAINABLE WITHOUT PRESCRIPTION AND IS AN APPETITE SUPPRESSANT. PLTS WIFE SAID HE HAD LOST 'ABOUT 20 LBS' IN RECENT MONTHS. HE HAD NOT REPORTEDLY SEEN A DR RECENTLY. NO MECH DISCREPANCIES OF A CAUSAL NATURE WERE FOUND.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.