Piper PA-31T accident near Flat Rock, North Carolina, August 24, 1985
On August 24, 1985 at about 1:55 am local time, a Piper PA-31T, registered N600CM, was destroyed in an accident near Flat Rock, North Carolina. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 5 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 24, 1985 · about 1:55 am local time
- Place
- Flat Rock, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 5 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31T · all PA-31Ts on the register
- Registration
- N600CM · no longer on the register · serial 31T7720024
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT HIT NORTHWEST SIDE OF RIDGE IN LEVEL ATTITUDE,CRUISE SPEED,HEADING SOUTHEAST.CONDITIONS WERE DARK NIGHT AND THE CLOUD CEILING WAS ABOUT 40 FEET ABOVE THE RIDGE.PILOT RECEIVED WX BRIEF BEFORE TAKE OFF AND EN ROUTE WHICH REPORTED A CEILING OF 10,000 FEET AT DESTINATION.ACFT WAS FLOWN AT 17,500 FEET EN ROUTE.PIC RADIOED GSP APPROACH CONTROL.SAID HE WAS VFR FOR LANDING,PASSING 6000 FEET.TWO WAY COMM NOT ESTABLISHED BUT DISCRETE TX CODE ASSIGNED. CONTROLLER SAW TX CODE CHANGE NW OF CRASH SITE THEN RADAR TARGET DISAPPEARED AT ACCIDENT SITE.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,700 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,077 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 21, 1985; 53 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,050 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT-6A-28 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: LOU Louisville KY
- Destination: GSP Greer SC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 130° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:51 am from AVL, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.