Beech C24R accident near Olar, South Carolina, September 4, 2002
On September 4, 2002 at about 1:10 pm local time, a Beech C24R, registered N6698D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Olar, South Carolina. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to execute the proper remedial action for hydraulic leak fumes in the cockpit, and his decision to perform an immediate precautionary landing to a vacant field, resulting in collision with a tree. A factor in the accident was the occurrence of a hydraulic leak while in flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 4, 2002 · about 1:10 pm local time
- Place
- Olar, South Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech C24R · all C24Rs on the register
- Registration
- N6698D · no longer on the register · serial MC-696
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported half-way into his flight from Savannah, Georgia to Columbia, South Carolina, he noticed a "smoke smell" and "smoke rising in cockpit". About the same time the red "in transient" landing gear light illuminated steady. The pilot positioned the landing gear handle "up" with no results, so he turned off all electrical power, cranked the gear down manually, and declared an emergency with Columbia approach control. He made a precautionary landing to a vacant field, and the right wing collided with a tree. Postcrash examination by FAA and NTSB personnel could not duplicate any "smoke" or overheat condition. The landing gear "power pack" was located behind the cockpit, and evidence of hydraulic leakage at that location was revealed. The inspectors stated that the pilot may have smelled hydraulic fumes.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,206 hours in all; 50 in this make and model
- Last flight review: July 26, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,002 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 17, 2001; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,258 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SAV Savannah GA at 12:40 pm
- Destination: CAE Columbia SC
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 12:56 pm from CAE, 45 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.