Beech A36 accident near Georgetown, South Carolina, October 25, 1990
On October 25, 1990 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Beech A36, registered N97PA, was destroyed in an accident near Georgetown, South Carolina. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS DURING FLIGHT. THE REASON FOR THE LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS COULD NOT BE DETERMINED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 25, 1990 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Georgetown, South Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Beech A36 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N97PA · no longer on the register · serial E-2023
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING DESCENT ON AN IFR FLIGHT, THE PILOT BECAME INCAPACTIATED. THE NON-RATED PASSENGER THEN MADE THE FOLLOWING TRANSMISSION: 'CAN ANYBODY HEAR ME?', FOLLOWED BY '... HE WENT TO SLEEP ON ME'. RADAR DATA INDICATES THAT N97PA THEN FLEW ERRATIC HEADINGS AND ALTITUDES UNTIL FINALLY TURNING TO A SOUTHEASTERLY HEADING, TOWARDS THE OCEAN. ATTEMPTS BY ATC TO DIRECT A TURN BACK TOWARDS LAND WERE TO NO AVAIL. RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST 4 MILES FROM THE COASTLINE OVER THE ATLANTIC OCEAN. THE COAST GUARD RECOVERED AN AIRPLANE SEAT AND TWO SECTIONS OF LANDING GEAR. POSITIVE IDENTIFICATION OF THE PILOT AND PASSENGER WAS NOT POSSIBLE. THE PILOT HAD RECEIVED HIS CLASS II MEDICAL THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT. A SEARCH OF HIS MEDICAL RECORD REVEALED A SLIGHTLY ABNORMAL ECG IN 1988 (ON APPLICATION FOR CLASS I MEDICAL). ALL SUBSEQUENT APPLICATIONS FOR FAA MEDICAL CERTIFICATES WERE FOR CLASS II CERTIFICATES, WHICH DO NOT REQUIRE ECG TESTING.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,650 hours in all; 11,305 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 7, 1990; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BB (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
- Operator: Air And Sea Sales Corporation
The flight
- Departed from: GMU Greenville SC at 9:38 pm
- Destination: GGE Georgetown SC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,400 ft; scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 pm from MYR
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.
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.