Mikoyan Gurevich Mig-15 accident near Whiteville, North Carolina, September 18, 2002
On September 18, 2002 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Mikoyan Gurevich Mig-15, registered N151MG, was destroyed in an accident near Whiteville, North Carolina. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot continued visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions and experienced spatial disorientation which resulted in a loss of control and the subsequent collision with the ground .
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 18, 2002 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Whiteville, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mikoyan Gurevich Mig-15 · all Mig-15s on the register
- Registration
- N151MG · no longer on the register · serial 622022
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After departure, the pilot established radio contact with Washington Center for flight following to Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia. The flight was assigned a cruise altitude of 17,500 feet and was given a squawk code. The pilot had begun to read back the squawk code when radio communication with the airplane was lost. Radar data showed that the airplane's last recorded altitude was 6,900 feet. Attempts to re-establish communications with the airplane failed. According to the recorded weather at the time of the accident cloud layers extended from 2,800 feet to 9,000 feet. The cloud tops were not reported. The remaining circumstances of the flight are not known. When the airplane failed to reach the destination airport, a search was initiated, and the airplane wreckage was located several hours later in a wooded area. Examination of the airplane did not disclose any mechanical problems.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,200 hours in all; 50 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 11,270 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Klimov VK-1 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CRE N Myrtle Beach SC at 4:45 pm
- Destination: NTU Virginia Beach VA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,500 ft; scat at 2,800 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from ILM, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.