Cessna R182 accident near N. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, May 14, 1997
On May 14, 1997 at about 5:43 pm local time, a Cessna R182, registered N9080C, was destroyed in an accident near N. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (Grand Strand airport). It was a personal 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 pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during a go-around resulting in an inadvertent stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 14, 1997 · about 5:43 pm local time
- Place
- N. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina · Grand Strand
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna R182 · all R182s on the register
- Registration
- N9080C · no longer on the register · serial R18200391
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot's first approach was 'too high and too fast' for a successful landing and the pilot executed a go-around. The sound of a gear warning horn could be heard in the background of the tower tape when the pilot reported the go-around. The pilot then flew a wide pattern and turned onto final approach about 4 miles from the end of the runway. Witnesses observed the airplane touch down, then bounce up and make a climbing right turn above the treetops. According to several witnesses, after the airplane did what appeared to some as a 'touch and go' landing, the airplane went into a 'very steep climb,' and reached an altitude of 75 to 100 feet above the ground. A pilot who witnessed the accident said he thought the airplane 'was a banner tow plane making a pick-up.' He saw the airplane in a nose low attitude, and as it approached the trees it pitched up again. The airplane continued to descend in a pitched up attitude until the right wing dropped and the aircraft descended into the trees in a right bank. Most of the witnesses agreed that the airplane appeared to lose forward airspeed while in a steep climb.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 236 hours in all; 44 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,595 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 6, 1997; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-J3C5D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: FCI Richmond VA at 4:00 pm
- Destination: CRE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 5,996 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from CRE
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.
Other NTSB records under N9080C the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.