- Date
- January 13, 2021, 21:00 local (Jan 14, 2021, 02:00 UTC)
- Place
- Myrtle Beach, SC
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 4 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N862UPBeech 300
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Turbulence encounter
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20210113000079A
- Case key
- 102561
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
An encounter with severe turbulence, which resulted in serious injury to an unseated passenger.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
According to the operator, the airplane was cruising at flight level 250, about 1 hour and 40 minutes into the flight, when it encountered 30 to 45 seconds of severe turbulence. One of the three passengers was not seated and sustained serious injuries. The injured passenger reported that she struck her head on the overhead ceiling compartment, then fell onto the armrest. Another passenger assisted her to her seat, but the injured passenger had difficulty fastening her seatbelt. According to the operator, the crew reported the turbulence to air traffic control, advised the controller of the injury, and continued to the destination airport at the request of the passengers. At the destination airport, the passenger was met by emergency medical services personnel and declined additional medical treatment. The passenger reported that she sought medical treatment the following week and had a fractured rib. The pilot recorded the passenger’s seatbelt in the aircraft maintenance logbook. Mechanics performed a functional check of the seatbelt and found it to be operational, and the airplane was returned to service.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N862UP
- Reported as
- Beech 300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- FL-1061
- Built
- 2016
- Airframe hours
- 3,155
- Engines
- Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6Aa-60A, 1,050 horsepower, turbo propPratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-60A, 1,050 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Gama Aviation LLC, doing business as Wheel Up
- Registered owner
- Bank Of Utah Trustee
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Commuter
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · December 18, 2020 · 87 hours before
- Departed
- APF · Naples, FL
- Destination
- OPF · Norfolk, VA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display, Satellite tracking device, Angle of attack indicator, Stall warning system, ADS-B
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 45
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 24, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 4,685 total · 1,650 in this make and model · 3,250 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 38
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 9, 2020
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 7,809 total · 45 in this make and model · 4,046 as pilot in command · 45 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.92 inHg
- Turbulence
- Severe
- Observed at
- SUT, 5 nm away
- METAR
- KSUT 140215Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM OVC028 09/06 A3000 RMK AO2 T00900055
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 30, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 18.0 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.