Folland Aircraft CO LTD GNAT T 1 accident near Georgetown, South Carolina, July 29, 2013
On July 29, 2013 at about 5:20 pm local time, a 1963 Folland Aircraft CO LTD GNAT T 1, registered N18GT, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Georgetown, South Carolina (Georgetown County Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of airplane control for reasons that could not be determined due to postcrash fire damage. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to perform an aerobatic maneuver at low altitude, which did not allow sufficient time for him to regain airplane control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 29, 2013 · about 5:20 pm local time
- Place
- Georgetown, South Carolina · Georgetown County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Folland Aircraft CO LTD GNAT T 1, built 1963 · all GNAT T 1s on the register
- Registration
- N18GT · registry record · serial XS105
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses at the airport reported that the pilot radioed them while on approach to let them know he was coming in to land, and they went outside to view the landing. The airplane crossed over the midfield of the airport and entered a right downwind. The airplane then made a high-speed flyby over the runway between 100 and 200 ft above ground level. At the end of the runway, the airplane pitched up about 30 degrees and began rolling left. According to the witnesses, the first 180 degrees of the aileron roll was "perfect," but, when the airplane reached about the 190-degree point, it abruptly pitched down to the right and collided with the ground. A postcrash fire ensued. Postcrash fire damage precluded a determination of whether a hydraulic system failure led to the loss of the tailplane/elevator pitch control. However, examination of the two switches on the control stick that operate the electric standby tailplane trim system, which can be used in the event of a hydraulic failure, revealed that the nose-down side of the right switch was inoperative. If a hydraulic failure occurred and this switch was inoperative, the pilot would not have had full tailplane authority during his aerobatic flight maneuver. Although the airplane was equipped with an additional, independent switch that would have allowed control of the tailplane/elevator in the event that this switch failed, the functionality of this switch could not be determined due to damage. Regardless of whether a mechanical problem initiated the pitch anomaly, the low altitude at which the pilot performed the flight maneuver allowed insufficient time for him to regain airplane control before the airplane impacted the ground.
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
What happened, in order
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering (aerobatics)
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,506 hours in all; 4,506 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 4,800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royc ORPHEOUS (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Foogair INC
The flight
- Departed from: CRW Charleston WV at 4:25 pm
- Destination: GGE Georgetown SC
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 5:35 pm from GGE, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA13FA340.