Beech 23A-19 accident near Orangeburg, South Carolina, April 25, 1992
On April 25, 1992 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Beech 23A-19, registered N7973L, was destroyed in an accident near Orangeburg, South Carolina (Orangeburg Municipal Airp airport). It was a personal 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 DETERIORATION OF THE EXHAUST MUFFLER WHICH RESULTED IN AN INFLIGHT FIRE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 25, 1992 · about 6:45 pm local time · cases in 1992
- Place
- Orangeburg, South Carolina · Orangeburg Municipal Airp · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 23A-19 · all 23A-19s on the register
- Registration
- N7973L · no longer on the register · serial MB-154
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF THE PILOT NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. HE ELECTED TO RETURN TO THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT WHERE HE MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING. THE PILOT TAXIED THE AIRPLANE INTO A GRASSY AREA WHERE IT BURNED. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THAT THE EXHAUST MUFFLER HAD DETERIORATED AND THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE MUFFLER ASSEMBLY. THE FIRE DESTROYED THE AIRFRAME TACHOMETER, THEREFORE THE AIRFRAME TOTAL TIME AND TIME SINCE THE LAST ANNUAL INSPECTION WERE 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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,813 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 222 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 1,691 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 5, 1991
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: SSI Brunswick GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 4,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 13 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 45,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:31 pm from CAE, 15 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N7973L: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Beechcraft 23 146 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Beechcraft 6 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2C 11 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Orangeburg Municipal · nearest airport
- St. Simons Island Airport · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in South Carolina 1,036 since 1982 · 173 in the last ten years
- South Carolina 3,112 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL92LA089.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.