Piper AEROSTAR 600 N17MT

Summary

On 20 September 1998 at about 18:31 local time, a Piper AEROSTAR 600 registered N17MT was involved in an accident near N. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, United States. 5 people were on board and 4 died. One person on the ground also died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 September 1998 at 18:31

Classification

Accident

Location

N. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Grand Strand (CRE)

Coordinates

33.7706, -78.7792

Aircraft

Piper AEROSTAR 600

Registration

N17MT

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Marietta

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA98FA250

4 people died, including 1 on the ground.

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed (Vs) during a single engine approach resulting in an inadvertent stall. Factors contributing to the accident were a fatigue crack in the exhaust pipe in the right engine, the aircraft weight and balance was exceeded, degraded aircraft performance and the pilot's diverted attention.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After takeoff while over the departure end of the runway, deep gray colored smoke was observed by the tower controller trailing the right engine. The pilot was alerted of this and advised the controller the flight was returning. Witnesses reported seeing smoke trailing the right engine and that the airplane rolled to the left, pitched nose down, impacted trees, and then the ground. A fatigue crack was detected in the exhaust aft of the No. 6 cylinder of the right engine; and incomplete fusion of a weld repair was also noted. Heat damaged components from the right engine were replaced and the engine was started and found to operate normally. A foreign object of undetermined origin was found in the intake area of the No. 3 cylinder. Analysis of the voice tape revealed both engines/propellers were operating near full rated rpm when the pilot acknowledged the transmission that smoke was trailing the right engine, one engine/propeller rpm then decreased to about 2,160 rpm. Examination of the flight controls revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction. Flap positions at impact could not be determined. Calculations indicate that the airplane was approximately 55 pounds over the maximum certificated takeoff weight at takeoff.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.