National Transportation Safety Board released final report on 2023 Southport plane crash
SOUTHPORT, NC (WWAY) — The National Transportation Safety Board has released its final report into a fatal plane crash in Southport, which killed the pilot in the summer of 2023.
The plane crashed into a home on Frying Pan Road on June 25th, 2023. Shortly after, it took off from the Cape Fear Regional Jetport in Oak Island.
The NTSB says the probable cause of the accident was the pilot’s improper decision to fly a “known un-airworthy airplane,” which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to oil starvation.
According to a mechanic at the jetport, the plane had been in for maintenance since the previous October, but the mechanic could not complete the work because the plane had dead batteries, which were also the wrong batteries.
The plane was designed with a 24-volt electrical system that used two 24-volt batteries, but the mechanic found four 12-volt batteries installed.
The pilot told him to reinstall the four 12-volt batteries, but the mechanic refused. The pilot then took the plane back.
Click here for the full report.
