Piper PA-24-250 accident near Florence, South Carolina, February 6, 2003
On February 6, 2003 at about 11:53 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N5587P, was destroyed in an accident near Florence, South Carolina. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot experienced spatial disorientation, which resulted in a loss of control and the subsequent collision with the ground. A factors was dark night and clouds.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 6, 2003 · about 11:53 pm local time
- Place
- Florence, South Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N5587P · no longer on the register · serial 24-652
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a cross-country instrument flight at 5,300 feet the pilot radioed that he was having difficulty maintaining altitude. The air traffic controller reported the lost of radar and radio contact with the airplane at 1853. Local authorities were notified, and launched a ground and air search for the downed airplane. The airplane wreckage was located in a wooded area at 0815 on February 7, 2003. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any airframe or mechanical malfunctions. According to the Federal Aviation Administration Advisory Circular #60-4A: during periods of low visibility a pilot is particularly vulnerable to spatial disorientation.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 716 hours in all; 624 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,962 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 20, 2002
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OMN Ormond Beach FL at 8:30 pm
- Destination: BBP Bennettsville SC
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 050° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from FLO, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.