What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Acft took off from rwy 23 and a controller advised the pilot that the right engine was smoking, the pilot advised the controller that he was returning to land the acft, the controller cleared the acft to land, but the acft crashed before reaching the arpt. All 4 POB suffered fatal inj. (.23)the aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Grand Strand Airport, north Myrtle beach, SC. The aircraft was destroyed by impact and post crash fire. VFR conditions prevailed at time of crash. Pilot and three passengers fatally injured. One individual on ground also fatally injured. Smoke was reported coming from from right engine shortly after takeoff. Pilot was attempting to return to airport at the time of accident. Pilot did not declare emergency prior to crash. Examination at crash site did not reveal any positive cause for crash. Left and right engine did not reveal any apparent failures. Partially disassembled engines to preform compression check. Right engine forwarded for runup. Aircraft maintenance record, not located for examination. May have been destroyed in post crash fire. Attempting to locate missing records. This is an interm report and will be amended as infor mation becomes available. (.4) after takeoff while over the departure end of the runway, deep gray colored smoke was observed by the tower controller trailing the right engine. The pilot was alerted of this and advised the controller the flight was returning. Witnesses reported seeing smoke trailing the right engine and that the airplane rolled to the left, pitched nose down, then impacted trees then the ground. A fatigue crack was detected in the exhaust aft of the no. 6 cylinder of the right engine; and incomplete fusion of a weld repair was also noted. Heat damaged components from the right engine were replaced and the engine was started and found to operate normally. A foreign object of undetermined origin was found in the intake area of the no. 3 cylinder. Analysis of the voice tape revealed both engines/propellers were operating near full rated RPM when the pilot acknowledged the transmission that smoke was trailing the right engine, one engine/propeller RPM decreased to about 2,160 RPM. Examination of the flight controls revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction. Flap positions at impact could not be determined. Calculations indicate that the airplane was approximately 55 pounds over the maximum certificated takeoff weight at takeoff.
As the FAA filed it
ACFT TOOK OFF FROM RWY 23 AND A CONTROLLER ADVISED THE PILOT THAT THE RIGHT ENGINE WAS SMOKING, THE PILOT ADVISED THE CONTROLLER THAT HE WAS RETURNING TO LAND THE ACFT, THE CONTROLLER CLEARED THE ACFT TO LAND, BUT THE ACFT CRASHED BEFORE REACHING THE ARPT. ALL 4 POB SUFFERED FATAL INJ. (.23)THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF FROM GRAND STRAND AIRPORT, NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED BY IMPACT AND POST CRASH FIRE. VFR CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT TIME OF CRASH. PILOT AND THREE PASSENGERS FATALLY INJURED. ONE INDIVIDUAL ON GROUND ALSO FATALLY INJURED. SMOKE WAS REPORTED COMING FROM FROM RIGHT ENGINE SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF. PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TO RETURN TO AIRPORT AT THE TIME OF ACCIDENT. PILOT DID NOT DECLARE EMERGENCY PRIOR TO CRASH. EXAMINATION AT CRASH SITE DID NOT REVEAL ANY POSITIVE CAUSE FOR CRASH. LEFT AND RIGHT ENGINE DID NOT REVEAL ANY APPARENT FAILURES. PARTIALLY DISASSEMBLED ENGINES TO PREFORM COMPRESSION CHECK. RIGHT ENGINE FORWARDED FOR RUNUP. AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE RECORD, NOT LOCATED FOR EXAMINATION. MAY HAVE BEEN DESTROYED IN POST CRASH FIRE. ATTEMPTING TO LOCATE MISSING RECORDS. THIS IS AN INTERM REPORT AND WILL BE AMENDED AS INFOR MATION BECOMES AVAILABLE. (.4) AFTER TAKEOFF WHILE OVER THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY, DEEP GRAY COLORED SMOKE WAS OBSERVED BY THE TOWER CONTROLLER TRAILING THE RIGHT ENGINE. THE PILOT WAS ALERTED OF THIS AND ADVISED THE CONTROLLER THE FLIGHT WAS RETURNING. WITNESSES REPORTED SEEING SMOKE TRAILING THE RIGHT ENGINE AND THAT THE AIRPLANE ROLLED TO THE LEFT, PITCHED NOSE DOWN, THEN IMPACTED TREES THEN THE GROUND. A FATIGUE CRACK WAS DETECTED IN THE EXHAUST AFT OF THE NO. 6 CYLINDER OF THE RIGHT ENGINE; AND INCOMPLETE FUSION OF A WELD REPAIR WAS ALSO NOTED. HEAT DAMAGED COMPONENTS FROM THE RIGHT ENGINE WERE REPLACED AND THE ENGINE WAS STARTED AND FOUND TO OPERATE NORMALLY. A FOREIGN OBJECT OF UNDETERMINED ORIGIN WAS FOUND IN THE INTAKE AREA OF THE NO. 3 CYLINDER. ANALYSIS OF THE VOICE TAPE REVEALED BOTH ENGINES/PROPELLERS WERE OPERATING NEAR FULL RATED RPM WHEN THE PILOT ACKNOWLEDGED THE TRANSMISSION THAT SMOKE WAS TRAILING THE RIGHT ENGINE, ONE ENGINE/PROPELLER RPM DECREASED TO ABOUT 2,160 RPM. EXAMINATION OF THE FLIGHT CONTROLS REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF PREIMPACT FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. FLAP POSITIONS AT IMPACT COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. CALCULATIONS INDICATE THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS APPROXIMATELY 55 POUNDS OVER THE MAXIMUM CERTIFICATED TAKEOFF WEIGHT AT TAKEOFF.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.