- Date
- June 20, 1989, 16:42 local (20:42 UTC)
- Place
- Gaston, SC
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N78TWBeech B-60
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 11, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890620016269A
- Case key
- 7899
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot exercised questionable judgement in initiating a flight into an area of known thunderstorms. Further, either deliberately or inadvertantly entered a thunderstorm and overstressed the airframe structure resulting in an inflight separation of the aerodynamic surfaces.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
After obtaining a weather briefing in which he was informed of thunderstorms and current sigmets for his intended route of flight, the pilot elected to depart his home airport on a personal flight. At the time of departure, witnesses indicated the presence of thunderstorms adjacent to the airport. After trying to obtain his IFR clearance from charlotte, the pilot was issued his IFR clearance when approaching columbia, SC. The pilot had deviated around at least one thunderstorm while approaching columbia. The pilot had been cleared to climb to his requested altitude of 17,000 feet and had reached 16,400 when the radar return was observed to indicate a descent and then was lost. Witnesses on the ground reported seeing the airplane exit the clouds in flames. The evidence indicated that the horizontal tail had separated followed by the wings and other components of the airplane. No evidence of separation due to structural weakening from heating was found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N78TW
- Reported as
- Beech B-60
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- P-445
- Airframe hours
- 1,669
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-5410E1C4, 380 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- Both
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Maurice J. Walsh, III
- Registered owner
- Maurice J Walsh, III
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 13, 1989 · 21 hours before
- Departed
- 0A6 · Gastonia, NC
- Destination
- FPR · Fort Pierce, FL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- CAE · Columbia Metro
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 49
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,290 total · 26 in this make and model · 1,010 as pilot in command · 17 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CAE, 9 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.