Amateur-built LIGHTNING BUG 2 accident near Walterboro, South Carolina, May 13, 1993
On May 13, 1993 at about 2:00 pm local time, a amateur-built LIGHTNING BUG 2, registered N200NJ, was destroyed in an accident near Walterboro, South Carolina. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE DISCONNECTION OF AN ELEVATOR ROD END FITTING IN FLIGHT, WHICH DISABLED THE ELEVATOR
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 13, 1993 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Walterboro, South Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built LIGHTNING BUG 2 LIGHTNING
- Registration
- N200NJ · no longer on the register · serial 001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE COMMERCIAL PILOT WAS CONDUCTING A MAINTENANCE TEST FLIGHT TO EVALUATE A NEW PROPELLER INSTALLATION. THE AIRFRAME TOTAL TIME WAS ABOUT 7 HOURS. THE PILOT WAS THE DESIGNER AND BUILDER OF THE EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT. DURING THE FLIGHT, HE REPORTED A LOSS OF ELEVATOR AUTHORITY. HE BAILED OUT OF THE AIRCRAFT, AND THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED INTO A WOODED, SWAMPY AREA. AN EXAMINATION OF THE FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM REVEALED THAT A ROD END FITTING HAD DISCONNECTED, RENDERING THE ELEVATOR INEFFECTIVE. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE WOULD CHANGE THE DESIGN OF THE FITTINGS TO INCORPORATE COTTER PINS FOR ADDED SECURITY ON FUTURE AIRCRAFT
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 28,000 hours in all; 260 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Amw 250-HAGD-03 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:52 pm from CHS, 30 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.