The National Transportation Safety Board released its report on a 2013 deadly plane crash in Conway that killed three people.
The crash happened Saturday, August 3, 2013 around 1:20 p.m. near the Wood Creek subdivision just off Dunn Shortcut Road and Warm Springs Lane.
According to the report, the pilot performed a practice instrument approach on an airport approximately 25 minutes away. Onboard video taken during the final part of the approach showed the right main fuel tank had about 5 gallons of fuel left, which was about 20 minutes worth of flight time.
According to the report, the pilot didn’t land at the airport, instead he chose to return to his home airport. The report states during the final approach for landing, about 600 feet off the ground, the airplane made a steep right turn, and crashed into the entrance of the housing development.
The NTSB concluded based on the limited fuel in the right tank, and lack of power upon impact, it is likely the right engine lost power due to lack of fuel. Further, the report states that the pilot likely didn’t follow checklist procedures for the loss of a single engine power. Investigators believe that the pilot’s improper preflight fuel planning and in-flight fuel management contributed to the crash.
According to the report, the pilot was taking various medications, but investigators don’t believe he was impaired at the time of the crash.
Horry County Deputy Coroner Derris Fowler identified the victims as Kenneth Piuma, 42, of the Myrtle Beach area; Donald Dale Becker, 16, of Conway and James Major, 39, also of Conway who is believed to be the pilot.
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