Amateur-built 1 accident near Bennettsville, South Carolina, October 11, 1987
On October 11, 1987 at about 7:40 pm local time, a amateur-built 1, registered N111MJ, was destroyed in an accident near Bennettsville, South Carolina (Marlboro County Airport). It was a personal 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 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
- October 11, 1987 · about 7:40 pm local time
- Place
- Bennettsville, South Carolina · Marlboro County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built 1
- Registration
- N111MJ · registry record · serial 1
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HOMEBUILT AEROBATIC AIRPLANE IMPACTED FLAT TERRAIN ADJACENT TO THE RWY SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF. A PILOT/WITNESS WHO WAS IN THE ARPT TERMINAL LOBBY AT THE TIME RPTD THAT HE BRIEFLY OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE PASS BY THE TERMINAL AT A LOW LEVEL IN A NEAR WINGS-VERTICAL ATTITUDE. THE ENGINE SOUNDED AS IF THE AIRPLANE WAS GOING THROUGH AEROBATIC MANEUVERS. THE AIRPLANE DISAPPEARED FROM HIS VIEW AND HE HEARD THE SOUND OF AN IMPACT SHORTLY THEREAFTER. THE WITNESS REPORTEDLY HAD AEROBATIC FLIGHT EXPERIENCE. POST-CRASH EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF ANY PRE-EXISTING MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. ACCORDING TO THE FAA, THE PLT HAD NOT ACQUIRED ANY PIC TIME WITHIN THE PRECEDING 90 DAYS.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 194 hours in all; 79 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, October 11, 1982
- Maximum gross weight: 1,555 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:52 pm from FLO, 27 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.