Mitsubishi MU-2B-35 accident near Hilton Head, SC
On August 1, 2001, a Mitsubishi MU-2B-35 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Hilton Head, SC. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 1, 2001
- Place
- Hilton Head, SC
- Aircraft
- Mitsubishi MU-2B-35 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 32.165°N, 80.734°W
- NTSB ID
- 20010807X01617
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On August 1, 2001, about 0751 eastern daylight time, a Mitsubishi, MU-2B-35, N1VY, registered to MU-2 LLC, and operated by Bankair Inc., as a Title 14 CFR part 91 positioning flight, crashed in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan had been filed. The commercial-rated pilot, sole occupant of the aircraft, received fatal injuries, and the aircraft was destroyed. The flight originated from Savannah, Georgia, the same day, about 0741. The chief pilot of Bankair Inc. stated that the pilot had just flown the aircraft from Columbia, South Carolina, to Savannah, Georgia, as Bankair flight 170, a Title 14 CFR part 135 flight, and had dropped off his cargo. The chief pilot further stated that the pilot was positioning the aircraft to Hilton Head to pick up additional cargo, when the accident occurred. An FAA Savannah Air Traffic Control Tower North Radar Controller said that the pilot had been on an IFR flight plan from Savannah, to Hilton Head, had reported the airport in sight, and had been given approval to make a frequency change, and told to squawk 1200. According to the controller, at 0750, he noticed on radar that N1VY had initiated a gradual descent from 2,000 feet to 1,000 feet, and at 0751, the altitude rose slightly to 1,300 feet and then N1VY disappeared from the radar screen. According to a person at the Hilton Head Airport who was monitoring the unicom frequency, the pilot of the accident airplane called on the unicom frequency, and asked for a traffic advisory, and he had r
Probable cause
Improper maintenance/installation and and inadequate inspection of the airplane's flap torque tube joints during routine maintenance by company maintenance personnel, which resulted in the right flap torque tube assembly coupler becoming detached and the flaps developing asymmetrical lift when extended, which resulted in an uncontrolled roll, a descent, and an impact with a tree during approach to
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Browse: South Carolina · Mitsubishi aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
