Piper PA-46-310P accident near Beaufort, South Carolina, April 20, 1998
On April 20, 1998 at about 10:47 pm local time, a Piper PA-46-310P, registered N77DE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Beaufort, South Carolina (Beaufort County airport). 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 20, 1998 · about 10:47 pm local time
- Place
- Beaufort, South Carolina · Beaufort County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-46-310P · all PA-46-310Ps on the register
- Registration
- N77DE · registry record · serial 4608054
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On the third leg of a cross country flight, while flying about 1,000 feet msl, near the destination airport, the pilot reported that the engine rpm's began to audibly fluctuate, and the engine then quit. Emergency procedures to restore engine power were unsuccessful. The flight was vectored toward the destination airport and while flying perpendicular to the runway, the airplane impacted the ground just short of the runway edge, rolled across the runway into a marsh, and came to rest upright with the right wing separated. Adequate fuel was drained from the left wing fuel tank. While still installed on the airplane, the engine was started and found to operate normally. No preimpact malfunction was noted to the fuel delivery or fuel vent system. Fuel consumption calculations based on the flight times, reported fuel flow for each leg, and altitudes flown, revealed that the estimated fuel consumed was about 86 gallons. The total usable fuel capacity is 120 gallons.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 605 hours in all; 26 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 538 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,735 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 20, 1997; 131 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-BE (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VRB Vero Beach FL at 9:57 pm
- Destination: 73J
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from NBC, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N77DE the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 MIA98LA140.