Piper PA-30 accident near Charleston, South Carolina, January 11, 2005
On January 11, 2005, a Piper PA-30, registered N7654Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Charleston, South Carolina (Charleston Intern Airport). It was a business 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's inadequate preflight and mismanagement of the fuel supply, which resulted in fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 11, 2005
- Place
- Charleston, South Carolina · Charleston Intern Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-30 · all PA-30s on the register
- Registration
- N7654Y · no longer on the register · serial 30-732
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Forty seconds after takeoff, the pilot radioed that he had an emergency and was banking the airplane hard to the left to return to runway 21. Controllers informed the pilot that runway 21 was not cleared and that he could land on runway 33. The airplane collided with the ground between runways 21 and 33. Examination of the aircraft revealed the left hand fuel selector was found selected to the main tank position and approximately one-quart of fuel was drained from this tank. Three gallons are considered unusable. The right hand fuel selector was found selected to the auxiliary fuel tank position. At least five gallons of fuel was found in that tank. Neither the left main nor the right auxiliary tanks were breached. The airplane was fitted with tip tanks installed under a Supplemental Type Certificate. The tip tank switches located on the instrument panel, were found in the auxiliary or off position. The tip tanks were found breached and fire damaged. The airplane's flight manual calls for takeoff and landing to be made on the main fuel tanks only. The post-accident examination of the airframe and subsystems failed to disclose any mechanical problems or component failures.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,250 hours in all; 140 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,382.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 12, 2004; 3,335.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,725 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming IO-320-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming IO-320-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CHS Charleston SC
- Destination: DYB Summerville SC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 7,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 230° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
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.