Beech H-18 accident near Sandersville, Georgia, October 8, 1987
On October 8, 1987 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Beech H-18, registered N711LC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sandersville, Georgia (Kaolin Field). It was a positioning 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
- October 8, 1987 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Sandersville, Georgia · Kaolin Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech H-18 · all H-18s on the register
- Registration
- N711LC · registry record · serial BA723
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE COCKPIT BEGAN TO FILL WITH SMOKE DURING INITIAL CLIMB AFTER THE PLT RAISED THE LDG GEAR. THE PLT RETURNED TO THE ARPT AND MADE AN EMERGENCY LDG. AFTER EVACUATING THE ACFT, THE PLT OBSERVED THAT THE RT ENGINE NACELLE AFT OF THE FIREWALL WAS ON FIRE. INITIAL ATTEMPTS BY GROUND PERSONNEL TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. THE FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED SEVERAL MINUTES LATER BY A LOCAL FIRE DEPT AFTER THE ACFT HAD SUSTAINED EXTENSIVE FIRE DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT WING. THE ACFT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY EXAMINED BY AN FAA AIRWORTHINESS INSPECTOR; THE EXACT ORIGIN OF THE FIRE WAS NOT DETERMINED.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 13,496 hours in all; 165 in this make and model; 192 in the last 90 days; 13,370 as pilot in command; 1,800 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,900 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W R-985-AN14B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Flite Services,Inc.
The flight
- Destination: PDK Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 12, 3,800 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.