Piper 601P accident near Rock Hill, South Carolina, August 20, 1995
On August 20, 1995 at about 4:28 am local time, a Piper 601P, registered N41GA, was destroyed in an accident near Rock Hill, South Carolina. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S IN-FLIGHT LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL, DUE TO INCAPACITATION BY A HEART ATTACK.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 1995 · about 4:28 am local time
- Place
- Rock Hill, South Carolina
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper 601P
- Registration
- N41GA · registry record · serial 61P-0465-183
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AS THE FLIGHT APPROACHED THE AIRPORT, RADAR DATA SHOWED THAT IT WENT INTO A SHALLOW DESCENDING LEFT TURN AWAY FROM THE AIRPORT. RADAR DATA WAS LOST AT ABOUT 650 FEET AGL WITH THE GROUND SPEED ABOUT 100 KNOTS. WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT FLYING ON A SOUTHERLY HEADING AND ENTER A SPIN OR SPIRAL FROM WHICH IT CRASHED NOSE FIRST INTO THE GROUND. POST-CRASH EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT STRUCTURE, FLIGHT CONTROLS, AND ENGINES SHOWED NO PRECRASH FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. POST-MORTEM EXAMINATION OF THE PILOT SHOWED HE HAD SUFFERED A HEART ATTACK. THE PILOT HAD A HISTORY OF HEART DISEASE, A PREVIOUS HEART ATTACK, AND HEART BYPASS SURGERY. HE HELD A SPECIAL ISSUANCE FAA MEDICAL CERTIFICATE, DUE TO HIS HISTORY OF HEART DISEASE.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 638 hours in all; 458 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 280 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,561 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1994; 94 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-S1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CRE Myrtle Beach SC at 3:00 am
- Destination: 29J
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 080° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:51 am from CLT, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.