# Accident 20210521009859A: Piper PA-31P, Myrtle Beach, SC, May 21, 2021

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 21, 2021, 18:25 local time
- Place: Myrtle Beach, SC
- Airport: Myrtle Beach International
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 33.6856° N, 78.9686° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.6856&lon=-78.9686&mi=10
- Aircraft: N575BC, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N575BC-2022-03-05) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-31P (registry code 7103120, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-31p) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming TIGO-541SER (registry code 41539, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-tigo-541ser) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-31P
- Reported engine: LYCOMING TIGO-541SER
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport
- Pilot flight hours: 20,000 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA21FA224](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA21FA224) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20210521009859A

## Narrative

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

ON MAY 21, 2021 ABOUT 1815 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A PIPER PA-31P NAVAJO WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT IMPACTED THE GROUND 2.25 MILES WEST OF MYRTLE BEACH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (MYR) MYRTLE BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA AFTER DEPARTING RUNWAY 18 AT ABOUT 1812. THE PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES. THE AIRPLANE WAS REGISTERED TO ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. AND OPERATED BY THE PILOT UNDER 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91 AS A PERSONAL FLIGHT.

SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, THE PILOT REQUESTED A RETURN TO RUNWAY 18 AND ENTERED A RIGHT CLOSED TRAFFIC PATTERN. APPROXIMATELY ONE MINUTE INTO FLIGHT, THE PILOT REPORTED AN UNSPECIFIED PROBLEM AND CONTINUED THE RIGHT TRAFFIC PATTERN. LOSS OF COMMUNICATION OCCURRED APPROXIMATELY 30 SECONDS AFTER THE SECOND RADIO TRANSMISSION WITH ATC.

A POST-CRASH FIRE CONSUMED APPROX.25 ACRES OF GRASS AND WAS EXTINGUISHED BY THE LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT. A FIRST RESPONDER SUSTAINED MINOR BURNS AND NO OTHER DAMAGE TO PROPERTY WAS REPORTED.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ERA21FA224](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA21FA224), May 21, 2021: Piper PA-31P (N575BC), Myrtle Beach, SC, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The mechanic’s inadvertent installation of the elevator trim tabs in reverse, which resulted in the pitch trim system operating opposite of the pilot’s input and the pilot’s subsequent loss of…

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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