Piper PA-23-250 accident near Chester, South Carolina, November 18, 1985
On November 18, 1985 at about 1:18 pm local time, a Piper PA-23-250, registered N123TT, was destroyed in an accident near Chester, South Carolina. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- November 18, 1985 · about 1:18 pm local time
- Place
- Chester, South Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-250 · all PA-23-250s on the register
- Registration
- N123TT · registry record · serial 27-4247
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES AT THE ACCIDENT SITE ESTIMATED THE GROUND VISIBILITY TO BE 100 YDS OR LESS. THE INSTRUMENT RATED PLT ON THE 32 NM FLT HAD NOT FILED A FLT PLAN EVEN THOUGH HE HAD OBTAINED A WX BRIEFING FROM FSS. THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE STEEL CABLES ATOP STEEL TRANSMISSION LINE TOWERS, ROLLED UPSIDE DOWN AND CAME TO A STOP IN AN INVERTED, 40 DEGREES NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming TI0-540 SER (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 8A6 Charlotte NC
- Destination: 9A6 Chester SC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: overcast at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:50 pm from CLT, 28 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.