Pilatus Aircraft Ltd PC-12/47E accident near Beaufort, NC
On February 13, 2022, a Pilatus Aircraft Ltd PC-12/47E (airplane) was involved in an accident near Beaufort, NC. 8 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- February 13, 2022
- Place
- Beaufort, NC
- Aircraft
- Pilatus Aircraft Ltd PC-12/47E · Airplane
- Injuries
- 8 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 34.813°N, 76.287°W
- NTSB ID
- 20220214104634
Official records · ERA22LA120
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Transcript Of Radio Communications: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn February 13, 2022, about 1402 eastern standard time, a Pilatus PC-12, N79NX, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Beaufort, North Carolina. The commercial pilot, and 7 passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Earlier on the day of the accident, the airplane departed Pitt-Greenville Airport (PGV), Greenville, North Carolina, about 1235, and landed at Hyde County Airport (7W6), Engelhard, North Carolina, at 1255. According to data recovered from the airplane’s combination flight data and cockpit voice recorder, before departing on the accident flight, when the passengers were boarding the airplane, the pilot was instructing the student pilot-rated passenger, who was seated in the right front seat of the airplane, on how to enter the flight plan information into the avionics. At one point, the passenger was told to enter W95 (Ocracoke Island Airport, Ocracoke, North Carolina) into the flight plan; however, he seemed unsure if he entered the information correctly. The pilot responded and stated that “we’ll get it later.” The passenger proceeded to insert Michael J. Smith Field Airport (MRH), Beaufort, North Carolina, into the flight plan, and then activate it. The data recorder data showed that the engine was started at 1329, and after taxi, the engine power was advanced for takeoff at 1334. The autopilot was engaged shortly after takeoff and the airplane climbed and leveled at the selected target altitude of 3,500 ft. The airspeed then stabilized around 22
Probable cause
The pilot’s inadequate preflight planning, inadequate inflight monitoring of the airplane’s flight parameters, and his failure to regain control of the airplane following entry into an inadvertent aerodynamic stall. The pilot’s likely spatial disorientation following the aerodynamic stall also contributed to the outcome.
More accidents in NC
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Browse: North Carolina · Pilatus 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.
