North American T-28B N944RJ

Summary

On 22 May 1998 at about 02:00 local time, a North American T-28B registered N944RJ was involved in an accident near Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 May 1998 at 02:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Spartanburg Downtown Mem (SPA)

Coordinates

34.9406, -81.9205

Aircraft

North American T-28B

Registration

N944RJ

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Greenville → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

MIA98LA167

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's misjudgment of speed and distance, and his delay in the use of brakes. Contributing to the accident was a thunderstorm, a wet runway, the pilot's self-induced pressure, and his inadequate inflight planning/decision.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was contracted to transport tissue from Spartanburg, to Charleston, South Carolina. Before departure on the positioning flight, he was advised by Flight Service Station of a severe thunderstorm watch covering South Carolina; and a thunderstorm was east of Greer, moving east and deteriorating. While taxiing to takeoff, he was advised the thunderstorm appeared to be over the destination airport and Greer Approach Control advised him that the thunderstorm was over the destination airport. The flight continued and during the approach, rain increased in intensity as reported by the pilot and a line service employee on the airport. The pilot stated that he landed about one-quarter of the way down the 5,203-foot-long runway but did not apply the brakes until the 1/2 way point. The airplane rolled off the departure end of the runway, down an embankment, and came to rest against a guardrail. Postcrash examination of the brakes revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction. The pilot was the sole pilot of an on-demand air taxi operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.