# Accident 20020917025859A: Amtr MIG15, Bolton, NC, September 17, 2002

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 17, 2002
- Place: Bolton, NC
- Damage: Destroyed
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.3174° N, 78.4008° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Bolton, NC, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.3174&lon=-78.4008&mi=10
- Aircraft: N151MG, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N151MG-2005-06-06) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Mikoyan Gurevich MIG 15 (registry code 05625NG, https://openairdocs.org/model/mikoyan-gurevich-mig-15) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG (registry code 99999, https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMTR MIG15
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020917025859A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) AIRCRAFT DEPARTED NORTH MYRTLE BEACH SC FOR NAS OCEANA, VA. THE PILOT (THOMAS RIGHETTI) CONTACTED WASHINGTON CENTER WITH A REQUEST FOR FLIGHT FOLLOWING. THE PILOT WAS GIVEN A "SQUAWK" BY WASHINGTON CENTER. DURING THE READ-BACK OF THE SQUAWK (THE PILOT WAS REPEATING THE THIRD NUMBER) RADIO CONTACT WAS LOST AND NEVER REGAINED. A SEARCH WAS INITIATED AND THE WRECKAGE OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOCATED SEVERAL HOURS LATER (BY A USCG HELICOPTER) IN A WOODED AREA APPROXIMATELY SIX MILES SOUTH OF BOLTON, NC. THE PILOTS' REMAINS WERE FOUND IN THE COCKPIT OF THE AIRCRAFT, BADLY BURNED AND UNRECOGNIZABLE. THE AIRCRAFT CANOPY AND WINDSHIELD FRAME WAS INTACT INDICATING NO ATTEMPT WAS MADE BY THE PILOT TO EGRESS THE AIRCRAFT. (.19) ON SEPTEMBER 18, 2002, AT 1300 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A MIKOYAN GUREVICH MIG-15, FIGHTER AIRPLANE, REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY THE PILOT, COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND WHILE CLIMBING NEAR WHITEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA. THE PERSONAL FLIGHT WAS OPERATED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 WITH NO FLIGHT PLAN FILED. THE NEAREST WEATHER REPORTING FACILITY REPORTED VISUAL WEATHER CONDITIONS, HOWEVER WITNESSES IN THE VICINITY OF THE ACCIDENT R                            EPORTED THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY AT THE APPROXIMATE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED AND THE COMMERCIAL PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA, AT 1245. AFTER DEPARTING NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, THE PILOT ESTABLISHED RADIO CONTACT WITH WASHINGTON CENTER FOR FLIGHT-FOLLOWING TO VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA. THE FLIGHT WAS ASSIGNED A CRUISE ALTITUDE OF 17,500 FEET. THE REMAINING CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE FLIGHT ARE NOT KNOWN. WHEN THE FLIGHT FAILED TO ARRIVE AT THE DESTINATION AIRPORT, A SEARCH WAS INITIATED. THE FIRE DAMAGED DOWNED AIRPLANE WAS LOCATED SEVERAL HOURS LATER IN A HEAVILY WOODED AREA NEAR WHITEVILLE.

## NTSB investigation

None matched to this report by aircraft and date. Search the NTSB's own records: https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/basic-search

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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