Piper PA-25 accident near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, August 27, 1986
On August 27, 1986 at about 8:40 pm local time, a Piper PA-25, registered N9101D, was destroyed in an accident near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (Grand Strand airport). It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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 27, 1986 · about 8:40 pm local time
- Place
- Myrtle Beach, South Carolina · Grand Strand
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-25 · all PA-25s on the register
- Registration
- N9101D · no longer on the register · serial 25-2
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS ABOUT 1/2 HRS INTO A PLANNED 2.0 HR BANNER TOW FLT. ON THE LAST PASS ALONG THE BEACH, AT ABOUT 500 FT AGL, THE ENG POPPED AND LOST PWR. THE PLT TURNED THE ACFT OUT TO SEA AND LANDED IN THE OCEAN. THE PLT SWAM TO SHORE AND THE ACFT SANK.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,193 hours in all; 797 in this make and model; 1,072 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CRE N. Myrtle Beach SC at 7:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:54 pm from CRE, 10 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.