Beech E18S accident near Greenwood, South Carolina, August 10, 1990
On August 10, 1990 at about 3:45 am local time, a Beech E18S, registered N563W, was destroyed in an accident near Greenwood, South Carolina (Greenwood County airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S IMPROPER EMERGENCY PROCEDURE BY SHUTTING DOWN THE WRONG ENGINE, WHICH RESULTED IN A FORCED LANDING. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: FAILURE OF THE NUMBER THREE INTAKE VALVE IN THE RIGHT ENGINE DUE TO FATIGUE, AND TREES IN THE EMERGENCY LANDING AREA.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 10, 1990 · about 3:45 am local time
- Place
- Greenwood, South Carolina · Greenwood County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech E18S · all E18Ss on the register
- Registration
- N563W · no longer on the register · serial BA-139
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE RIGHT ENGINE LOST POWER DURING THE INITIAL CLIMB AFTER LIFT-OFF. A WITNESS HEARD A NOISE & OBSERVED FLAMES COMING FROM THE RIGHT ENGINE COWLING AS THE AIRPLANE CLIMBED. THE AIRPLANE ENTERED A TURN AFTER CLIMBING ABOUT 200 FT, DESCENDED THROUGH A SMALL GROVE OF TREES, CRASHED IN A PASTURE, AND BURNED. DURING TAKEOFF, THE PLANE'S GROSS WEIGHT WAS ABOUT 11,050 LBS & THE CG WAS BEHIND THE AFT LIMIT. ITS MAXIMUM CERTIFIED WEIGHT LIMIT WAS 9700 LBS. THE PILOT WAS AWARE OF A GROSS WEIGHT PROBLEM BEFORE TAKEOFF. AN EXAM REVEALED EVIDENCE THAT THE LEFT ENGINE PROPELLER WAS IN THE FEATHERED POSITION & THE RIGHT PROPELLER WAS NOT FEATHERED AT IMPACT. A CHECK OF THE RIGHT ENGINE DISCLOSED THAT THE NUMBER 3 CYLINDER INTAKE VALVE HAD FAILED FROM FATIGUE.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,000 hours in all; 900 in this make and model; 299 in the last 90 days; 90 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,323 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 9, 1990; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,700 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W R-985-14B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Royal Air Freight
The flight
- Departed from: GRD Greenwood SC at 3:42 am
- Destination: PTK Pontiac MI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 9, 4,993 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 030° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft; scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:06 am from AND, 35 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.