Spartan 7W accident near Sumter, South Carolina, April 25, 1987
On April 25, 1987 at about 12:35 pm local time, a Spartan 7W, registered N13PH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sumter, South Carolina (Shaw Afb airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 25, 1987 · about 12:35 pm local time · cases in 1987
- Place
- Sumter, South Carolina · Shaw Afb · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Spartan 7W · all 7Ws on the register
- Registration
- N13PH · registry record · serial 13
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE BEGAN TO TURN TO THE LEFT AFTER LDG WHEN THE TAILWHEEL TOUCHED DOWN; SUBSEQUENT EFFORTS TO COUNTERACT THE TURN WERE NOT SUCCESSFUL. THE AIRPLANE RAN OFF THE SIDE OF THE RWY AND HIT A DEPRESSION IN THE TERRAIN, COLLAPSING THE MAIN LDG GEAR. THE WIND AT THE TIME WAS REPORTEDLY CALM. POST-ACCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE BY AN FAA AIRWORTHINESS INSPECTOR REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF ANY PRE-EXISTING MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE.
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; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 16,000 hours in all; 115 in this make and model; 65 in the last 90 days; 15,380 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,600 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 9, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 4,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W WASPJR-R-985 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GMU Greenville SC at 11:25 am
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 22L, 8,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N13PH on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Spartan 7 19 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Spartan 29 aircraft on the register
- Engine: P&W WASPJR-R-985 · as the NTSB recorded it
- Shaw Air Force Base · nearest airport
- Greenville Downtown Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in South Carolina 1,035 since 1982 · 172 in the last ten years
- South Carolina 3,111 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL87LA144.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.