Ayres S2RHG-T65 accident near Unknown, October 1, 2001
On October 1, 2001, a Ayres S2RHG-T65, registered N3101G, was destroyed in an accident near Unknown. It was a ferry 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 airplane and pilot are missing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 1, 2001
- Place
- Unknown
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ayres S2RHG-T65
- Registration
- N3101G · registry record · serial T65-009DC
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was being ferried from Colombia to Patrick Air Force Base, Florida, for maintenance. The pilot had stopped in Providenciales and remained over night prior to initiating the last leg of the trip. The pilot was given an instrument flight rules clearance from Providenciales to Patrick Air Force Base, Florida, by controllers at the Providenciales Airport Control Tower, and departed about 0820. At 0823, while climbing through 2,000 feet msl, after departure from Providenciales, the pilot of N3101G made contact with air traffic controllers at the FAA Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center. At 0848:51, the controller informed the pilot of N3101G that the flight would have to land in either Nassau or Freeport, Bahamas to clear up a problem with his permission to fly to Patrick Air Force Base. The pilot of N3101G selected Freeport, and was cleared to Freeport. At 0918:39, the pilot of N3101G reported to the controller that he was 83 miles from "Burgo" intersection, level at 10,000 feet, and in heavy rain. At 0920:53, the controller informed the pilot he could not land at Patrick Air Force Base unless he had his permission number. The pilot responded "I can't talk to you I'm very very heavy rain (unintelligible) once I get out of the rain I will (unintelligible)". The controller responded that the flight would have to clear customs at Freeport, and then it could proceed to Patrick Air Force Base. At 0921:47, the pilot of N3101G responded he had customs waiting for him at Patrick Air Force Base. No further transmissions were received from the pilot of N3101G. Search and rescue operations were initiated by the U.S. Coast Guard. The pilot and aircraft were not located and search operations were suspended on October 6, 2001, at 0050. The GOES-8 satellite infrared image at 0902, showed a large band of clouds extending from south of Cuba, northeast over the Bahamas, and then eastward across the Atlantic Ocean north and northeast of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Several large areas cumulonimbus clouds are embedded in this area. Cloud tops were between 46,000 and 49,000 feet. The GOES-8 visible image for 0932 depicts a cumulonimbus cloud immediately in the vicinity of the last know position of N3101G, which was embedded in a straitform layer of clouds. At the time the flight became missing, SIGMET Alpha 15 was in effect for the last know position of the flight. This SIGMET called for frequent thunderstorms with tops to 45,000 feet. The pilot received a weather package via fax machine prior to departing Providenciales. The weather package called for isolated thunderstorms with tops to 45,000 feet from the departure point through the northern Bahamas.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,300 hours in all; 35 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: February 21, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,965 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 6, 2001; 77 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65AG (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MBPV Providenciales at 12:20 pm
- Destination: KCOF Patrick, Afb FL
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.82 inHg
- Observation at 1:20 pm from MYEG, 120 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.