Cessna TU206A accident near Greer, South Carolina, August 2, 1996
On August 2, 1996 at about 11:15 pm local time, a Cessna TU206A, registered N4813F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Greer, South Carolina (Sloan Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The disintegration of the number 3 piston, and the pilot's inadequate selection of terrain for the landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 2, 1996 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- Greer, South Carolina · Sloan Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TU206A · all TU206As on the register
- Registration
- N4813F · registry record · serial U206-0513
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight was at 8000 feet, in cruise flight, when the pilot reported a total loss of engine power and smoke in the cockpit. Air Traffic Control gave the pilot vectors to Sloan Airport, a small, private airstrip, north of Greer. The pilot was unable to locate the single east-west grass strip and attempted an emergency landing in a pasture approximately 0.7 nautical miles (nm) north of Sloan. The airplane struck a tree bordering the pasture and struck terrain beyond the tree, coming to rest inverted. The engine was examined and revealed that the number 3 piston had maximum mechanical damage and the least heat damage. The number 3 piston pin was found wedged in the left crankcase half, jammed against the number 2 main bearing support. The metallurgists report indicated that the number 3 piston had deteriorated in flight for undetermined reasons.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 579 hours in all; 75 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 7, 1995
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CLT Charlotte NC at 10:30 pm
- Destination: 2A0 Dayton TN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:36 pm from GSP, 8 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.