Beech 36TC accident near Sylvester, Georgia, July 18, 2004
On July 18, 2004 at about 9:08 pm local time, a Beech 36TC, registered N1525M, was destroyed in an accident near Sylvester, Georgia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision resulting in flight into thunderstorms resulting in an in-flight breakup of the airframe.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 18, 2004 · about 9:08 pm local time
- Place
- Sylvester, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 36TC · all 36TCs on the register
- Registration
- N1525M · registry record · serial EA-464
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot received a weather briefing at about 1305. The briefer advised him of convective activity from Sarasota, Florida extending up to Georgia moving east northeast at 30 knots with tops to Flight Level (FL) 450. The briefer also stated thunderstorms were east, west and south of Columbus, Georgia moving east at 25-35 knots. During the course of the flight. Air Traffic Control (ATC) issued several broadcast messages regarding convective SIGMET activity. At about 1649, the pilot advised the Jacksonville Center that he was level at 10,000 feet. At about 1656, the controller asked the pilot if he had a storm scope or weather radar onboard, which the pilot replied "I have a storm scope." The controller advised the pilot that there was a significant cell 10 miles in front of him extending 30 miles. The pilot advised that he was looking and asked. "what does the weather look like if we turned about heading 336 now." The controller stated that the cell extended all the way from Albany towards Ashburn airport. That it was a solid cell 20 miles wide with Level 4 and 5 thunderstorms. The pilot asked if he could have a suggested heading. The controller advised that there were no openings. The pilot then asked how far was the cell and the controller replied 5 miles and suggested. "If you wanted to go eastbound that's the clearest route due east about 45 miles than northbound that's the clearest route. "The pilot replied, "we'll try that." There was no further transmissions from the pilot. At 1708, radar contact was lost with the flight.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,320 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,277.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 2004
- Maximum gross weight: 3,850 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 SER (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SRQ Sarasota FL at 7:10 pm
- Destination: LWV Lawrenceville IL
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 9 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,400 ft; clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.77 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from KABY, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ATL04FA159.