NTSB report says plane which crashed into Southport home was deemed ‘unairworthy’ by mechanic

SOUTHPORT, NC (WWAY) — The National Transportation Safety Board has released its preliminary report into a Southport plane crash last month.

The small plane crashed in the yard of a home on June 25th, killing the pilot.

According to a mechanic at Cape Fear Regional Jetport (SUT), the airplane had been in for maintenance since October 2022. The private pilot/owner had requested that the mechanic troubleshoot interior lighting, service the brakes, attach a standby vacuum hose, and repair an exhaust leak. The mechanic could not complete the work as he could not start and run-up the engine due to dead batteries.

When he inspected the batteries, he realized that they were unairworthy. Specifically, the airplane was designed with a 24-volt electrical system that utilized two 24-volt batteries; however, the mechanic found four 12-volt batteries installed. When the mechanic contacted the pilot about the discrepancy, the pilot instructed him to reinstall the four 12-volt batteries.

The mechanic refused as it would have been an unapproved and unairworthy installation.

The pilot then stated he wanted his airplane back. The mechanic told him that the airplane was unairworthy as he had not completed repairs on it, and also noted that it was unairworthy on the invoice.

Witnesses at the airport observed excessive white exhaust smoke and oil leaking from the airplane onto the ground, as it taxied from the mechanic’s hangar to runway 23 for takeoff. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot reported an engine failure on the common traffic advisory frequency and that he was returning to runway 23.

The plane ultimately didn’t make it back to the airport, and left a 125-foot debris path.