The final report from the National Transportation Safety Board indicates that pilot error caused the plane crash nearly two years ago that killed eight people, including four students, off the Crystal Coast.
The group of four adults and four East Carteret High School students was returning to the airport in Beaufort from a duck hunting trip in Hyde County on February 13, 2022.
Related content: Lawsuits in NC plane crash that killed 8 settled for $15M
The report says pilot Ernest “Teen” Rawls didn’t conduct proper preflight planning, failed to monitor flight parameters, and didn’t regain control of the airplane after an aerodynamic stall.
The report said the pilot became so fixated on entering flight plan information that the aircraft’s pitch increased, while its airspeed dropped. That caused the plane to stall and drop into the ocean.
“As the pilot continued to fixate on programming the airplane’s flight management system and change the altimeter setting, the airplane’s pitch attitude increased to 10° nose up, while the airspeed had decayed to 109 knots. As a result of his inattention to this airspeed decay, the stall warning systemactivated and the autopilot disconnected. During this time the airplane began climbing and turning to the right and then to the left before entering a steep descending right turn that continued until the airplane impacted the ocean.
“For the final 2 and 1/2 minutes of the flight, the pilot was provided with stall warnings, stick shaker activations, autopilot disconnect warnings, and terrain avoidance warning system alerts.”
The NTSB also cited “spatial disorientation” as a contributing factor. According to the FAA, that’s the pilot’s loss of awareness of the plane’s position in the air and relative to the Earth.
Related content: Ground broken on memorial remembering 8 who died in Down East plane crash
No mechanical problems were found in the plane, and the NTSB said it could not determine whether Rawls’ health problems contributed to the crash. He had a history of lymphoma, which was in remission, and was diagnosed with COVID-19 a few weeks prior.
Related content: NTSB: No fire in 2022 plane crash that killed 4 students, 8 others in eastern North Carolina
Those killed in the crash include:
- Ernest “Teen” Rawls, 67, Greenville, pilot
- Jeffrey Rawls, 28, Greenville
- Stephanie Fulcher, 42, Sea Level
- Jonathan “Kole” McInnis, 15, Sea Level
- Douglas “Hunter” Parks, 45, Sea Level
- Noah Styron, 15, Cedar Island
- Michael “Daily” Shepherd, 15, Atlantic
- Jacob “Jake” Taylor, 16, Atlantic
More details about the investigation are available HERE.
