Keithley Thomas E Starduster Too accident near St. Matthews, SC
On September 7, 2009, a Keithley Thomas E Starduster Too (airplane) was involved in an accident near St. Matthews, SC. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- September 7, 2009
- Place
- St. Matthews, SC
- Aircraft
- Keithley Thomas E Starduster Too · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 33.667°N, 80.783°W
- NTSB ID
- 20090908X01502
Official records · ERA09LA501
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On September 7, 2009, at 1916 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Keithley Starduster TOO SA300, N26TK, registered to Aeroscene Incorporated, went out of control and crashed in Saint Matthews, South Carolina. The certificated private pilot and passenger were killed and the airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a postcrash fire. The flight was operated as a personal flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight. The flight originated from a private grass airstrip in Saint Matthews, South Carolina, at about 1900. According to a witness, the pilot was giving rides to his friends. The pilot had given three to four short airplane rides to different people. Each flight lasted approximately 5 to 10 minutes and followed the same routine. On the final flight, all appeared normal, including the sound of the engine. The pilot initiated a crosswind turn at midfield and flew a left hand pattern, to land on a 130 degree heading towards a hangar. The witness continued to say that the airplane turned downwind, base, and final. The airplane's transition from base to final was smooth. On final, the airplane was at a good angle, with a controlled decent. While on final at 200 to 300 feet above ground level, the nose of the airplane suddenly pitched up and to the right, "like a climbing right turn." The airplane's right wing dipped and the airplane made a sharp 180 degree turn, followed by the sound of an impact. Witnesses attempted to extinguish t
Probable cause
A loss of airplane control during approach for undetermined reasons.
More accidents in SC
- Beech 200, Feb 4, 2006
- Piper PA-32R-300, Jul 2, 2023
- Beech 58TC, Dec 26, 1991
- Learjet LR60, Sep 20, 2008
- Mooney M20J, Apr 17, 2026
Browse: South Carolina
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
