September 15, 2004, Magee, Mississippi / Cessna 336

The Student pilot and three non-rated passengers were killed when the twin-engine airplane crashed in night visual conditions at about 0250 Central time. The flight originated in Atmore, Ala., earlier the same morning; a search for the airplane and its occupants was not initiated until September 25, 2004, when a family member contacted local law enforcement. The accident airplane was discovered on October 4 , 2004, by the Mississippi Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. The Student pilot had accumulated a total of 96.5 flight hours, of which about 43.3 flight hours were in the same make and model airplane as the accident airplane. In addition, records showed that the pilot had a total of 3.4 hours...

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • A student pilot and three non-rated passengers were killed when their uninsured twin-engine airplane crashed at night, reportedly while attempting to evade Hurricane Ivan.
  • The student pilot had limited flight experience, including only 3.4 hours of night flight (all in the accident plane), lacked current endorsements, and had no flight experience in the 90 days prior to the crash.
  • The aircraft and occupants were not discovered until over a week after the crash, following a significant delay in initiating a search.
See a mistake? Contact us.

The Student pilot and three non-rated passengers were killed when the twin-engine airplane crashed in night visual conditions at about 0250 Central time. The flight originated in Atmore, Ala., earlier the same morning; a search for the airplane and its occupants was not initiated until September 25, 2004, when a family member contacted local law enforcement. The accident airplane was discovered on October 4 , 2004, by the Mississippi Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. The Student pilot had accumulated a total of 96.5 flight hours, of which about 43.3 flight hours were in the same make and model airplane as the accident airplane. In addition, records showed that the pilot had a total of 3.4 hours of night flight experience, all in the accident airplane, and he had no current endorsements, or flight experience for the previous 90 days. The Student pilot/owner reportedly was attempting to avoid Hurricane Ivan, since the airplane was not insured.

Ready to Sell Your Aircraft?

List your airplane on AircraftForSale.com and reach qualified buyers.

List Your Aircraft
AircraftForSale Logo | FLYING Logo
Pilot in aircraft
Sign-up for newsletters & special offers!

Get the latest stories & special offers delivered directly to your inbox.

SUBSCRIBE