Accident Overview
On March 14, 2025, at 0749 eastern daylight time, a Raytheon A36, registration N566C, was destroyed in an accident at Greenville, North Carolina. The private pilot and the passenger sustained fatal injuries. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
Flight History
The aircraft was departing from Pitt-Greenville Airport (PGV) in Greenville, North Carolina, en route to Vero Beach Regional Airport (VRB) in Vero Beach, Florida. This leg was the first segment of a trip to the Dominican Republic, where the pilot and passenger planned to provide dental care and mentor dental students annually.
According to preliminary air traffic control information from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the pilot contacted ATC while on the ground at PGV and requested an instrument flight rules clearance to VRB. After receiving clearance, the airplane departed at 0746. Shortly after departure, the transponder beacon code changed from 1200 to 3672. By 0748:12, the aircraft had climbed to 1,050 ft msl, with a groundspeed of 109 knots on a ground track of about 270°. No further position data was recorded after 0748:23, at which point the airplane had descended to 700 ft msl, increased groundspeed to 130 knots, and was on a track of about 050°.
Witness Observations
A witness near the approach end of runway 26 reported observing the airplane descend out of a cloud, perform a complete 360° roll to the right, then level off for several hundred feet. The aircraft then rolled again to the right; when the roll was about halfway complete, it descended to ground impact.
Wreckage Examination
Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane impacted a parked flatbed trailer and a gravel-covered storage lot in a right-wing, nose-down attitude. The right wingtip fuel tank damaged the trailer and came to rest below a hole it had made in the trailer. The propeller, engine, and instrument panel were lodged in an impact crater approximately 3 ft deep. During impact, the right wing and forward fuselage fragmented. An approximately 80 ft-long debris path extended from the impact crater on a 260° magnetic heading to where the aft cabin, left wing, and inverted empennage came to rest. No evidence of an inflight or postimpact fire was found.
Flight control cable continuity could not be established due to heavy fragmentation. Several unidentified cables displayed tensile overload signatures, and others had cuts made by first responders. The aileron trim cables had pulled through the wing, and the actuator pushrod was bent. The fuel strainer, integral to the fuel selector valve, contained a small amount of fuel. The fuel selector mounting plate was deformed around the handle, with the handle between detents, having rotated past its most counterclockwise position (right fuel tank). After disassembly, the selector operated as designed when air was blown through the ports.
The left and right main landing gear trunnions were found loose in the debris field, with each wheel and brake assembly separated. The landing gear actuator was also loose, its housing impact-damaged, and the drive gear found at an intermediate position between up and down. The emergency landing gear extension handle was separated and not observed in the wreckage. Environmental and icing controls were not observed on the crush-damaged instrument panel.
The aft bench seat was not installed. Pilot side lap buckles were not mated; the female end was damaged with its lever extended. The pilot side shoulder harness was frayed, missing its buckle, and its spring reel was pulled out. The copilot side shoulder harness was mated to the male end of the lap harness, which was not connected to its female end. Four lengths of harness from seats No. 3 and No. 4 were found, two missing buckles. One length had a male buckle and another a female buckle, not mated. Their installation positions could not be determined. Portions of the impact-damaged No. 3 and No. 4 seats were found, but their positions could not be positively determined.
The autopilot system was a Garmin GFC500, with digital touchscreen primary displays. The displays and instrument panel were heavily impact damaged. The propeller hub separated from the engine, remaining attached to a portion of the crankshaft that had impact-separated. All three blades displayed varying degrees of S-bending, leading edge damage, tip damage, and chordwise scratching; one blade was sheared off near the root. The engine was heavily damage, with multiple cracks and missing pieces in the crankcase, oil sump, and accessory cases. Cylinder No. 6 separated from the crankcase but remained in place due to tubing. The crankshaft was impact-separated forward of the No.5 connecting arm journal. Current Hobbs time could not be determined.
Additional Details
According to FAA airworthiness and maintenance records, the airplane was manufactured in 2005. Its most recent annual inspection was completed on July 3, 2024, at which time the airframe and engine had accrued approximately 1,085 total hours of operation. The pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on September 18, 2025, reporting approximately 1,880 total flight hours and 42 hours in the last six months. He had applied for BasicMed, with a course date of September 2, 2024, and a Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist date of August 19, 2024.
Weather reported at PGV at 0730, about 19 minutes before the accident, included: wind 040° at 5 knots, 10 statute miles visibility, overcast ceiling at 500 ft agl, temperature 8° C, dew point 8° C, barometric altimeter setting 30.08 inches of mercury. No further cloud or ceiling information was available until 1110, when similar conditions were reported. The wreckage was retained for further examination.