Globe GC-1B accident near Bennettsville, South Carolina, December 4, 2021
On December 4, 2021 at about 6:15 pm local time, a 1946 Globe GC-1B, registered N7824S, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Bennettsville, South Carolina (N/A airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inadequate preflight planning, resulting in a takeoff attempt from a grass parking area instead of the runway and subsequent impact with a pole.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 4, 2021 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Bennettsville, South Carolina · N/A · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Globe GC-1B, built 1946 · all GC-1Bs on the register
- Registration
- N7824S · no longer on the register · serial 2242
- 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 he was taking off from a 2,300-ft-long grass strip. He initiated the takeoff from a 1,000-ft-long parking area that was about 35° off the runway heading, thinking it was the runway. After realizing his error, there was insufficient room to stop, the airplane became airborne, and the left wing impacted the windsock pole, which resulted in structural damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage, and the pilot sustained a serious injury. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Heading/course › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Flight planning/navigation › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Pole › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,033 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 2,763 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,500 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 30, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 1,970 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental O-300 Series (piston); 3,500 hours total
The flight
- Destination: LBT Lumberton NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 2,300 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 1:15 pm from KBBP, 8 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KBBP 041815Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 20/09 A3006 RMK AO2
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 ERA22LA081.