Rock Hill – Pageland

On August 16, 1988 at 07:35 AM, Rock Hill – Pageland experienced a crash involving Beechcraft 60 Duke, operated by Rickey L. Newsom, with the event recorded near Pageland South Carolina.

The flight was categorized as executive/corporate/business and the reported phase was landing (descent or approach) at a airport (less than 10 km from airport) crash site.

3 people were known to be on board, 3 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 1, crew fatalities: 1, passengers on board: 2, passenger fatalities: 2, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. The airplane was observed to approach the airport from the northwest. As it crossed the northeast end of the runway, it initiated a right turn to cross the runway about the midpoint to a position for a left downwind for landing on runway 5. Its altitude was estimated to be about 200-300 feet above the ground and the landing gear was down. The witness did not observe the airplane further. It collided with the ground about 0.4 miles from the threshold. The morning sun was about 10° above the horizon and was about 33° to the right of the runway centerline. It would have been in the pilot's face during his flight from the last departure point. The landing runway sloped upward from the landing threshold. The lower-than-normal traffic pattern, the sun's position in relation to the airplane flight path, and the runway slope could have caused the pilot to perceive his altitude as being higher than it actually was. All three occupants were killed.

Aircraft reference details include registration N21TP, MSN P-114, year of manufacture 1970.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 34.7720°, -80.3915°.