Cessna 550 accident near Charleston, South Carolina, May 2, 2021
On May 2, 2021, a 1989 Cessna 550, registered N803SC, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Charleston, South Carolina (Charleston Exec airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The airplane's impact with a deer during takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 2, 2021 · cases in 2021
- Place
- Charleston, South Carolina · Charleston Exec · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 550 CIT. II, built 1989 · all 550s on the register
- Registration
- N803SC · registry record · serial 5500615
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, during takeoff, the airplane collided with two deer just after rotation. He continued the climbout and assessed that the flight controls functioned normally, but that the airplane was having issues with pressurization, and he was unable to communicate via radio. He eventually was able to contact air traffic control via mobile phone to coordinate their arrival at the destination and landed there uneventfully. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that it had sustained substantial damage to the right wing and its pressure vessel during the collision with the deer.
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
- Wildlife encounter (non-bird) during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,990 hours in all; 772 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 2,238 as pilot in command; 771 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 4, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,778.4 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 16, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 13,500 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney JY15D-4 (turbofan); 13,091 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney JT15D-4 (turbofan); 13,144 hours total
- Operator: Stb Aviation LLC
The flight
- Destination: CAE Columbia SC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 09/2, 5,350 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,600 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 8:35 pm from JZI
Weather report (METAR): KJZI 020035Z AUTO 11004KT 8SM BKN046 BKN050 18/13 A3006 RMK AO2
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on August 31, 2021. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N803SC on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 550 Citation II 501 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,676 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney JY15D-4 · as the NTSB recorded it
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney JT15D-4 3 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Charleston Executive · nearest airport
- Columbia Metro 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/ERA21LA227.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.