Piper 601P N41GA

Summary

On 20 August 1995 at about 04:28 local time, a Piper 601P registered N41GA was involved in an accident near Rock Hill, South Carolina, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 August 1995 at 04:28

Classification

Accident

Location

Rock Hill, South Carolina, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Piper 601P

Registration

N41GA

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Myrtle Beach → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

MIA95FA208

2 people died.

THE PILOT'S IN-FLIGHT LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL, DUE TO INCAPACITATION BY A HEART ATTACK.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

AS THE FLIGHT APPROACHED THE AIRPORT, RADAR DATA SHOWED THAT IT WENT INTO A SHALLOW DESCENDING LEFT TURN AWAY FROM THE AIRPORT. RADAR DATA WAS LOST AT ABOUT 650 FEET AGL WITH THE GROUND SPEED ABOUT 100 KNOTS. WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT FLYING ON A SOUTHERLY HEADING AND ENTER A SPIN OR SPIRAL FROM WHICH IT CRASHED NOSE FIRST INTO THE GROUND. POST-CRASH EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT STRUCTURE, FLIGHT CONTROLS, AND ENGINES SHOWED NO PRECRASH FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. POST-MORTEM EXAMINATION OF THE PILOT SHOWED HE HAD SUFFERED A HEART ATTACK. THE PILOT HAD A HISTORY OF HEART DISEASE, A PREVIOUS HEART ATTACK, AND HEART BYPASS SURGERY. HE HELD A SPECIAL ISSUANCE FAA MEDICAL CERTIFICATE, DUE TO HIS HISTORY OF HEART DISEASE.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.