A routine flight from Spartanburg to Myrtle Beach turned deadly on June 14, when a small twin-engine Beechcraft aircraft crashed near the South Carolina–North Carolina border, claiming two lives. The aircraft, registered under tail number N82UC, took off from Spartanburg Downtown Airport at 11:30 am local time. According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, radar last detected the plane at 12:44 pm near Tabor City, North Carolina.

Both individuals onboard were residents of Spartanburg County. They were later identified as 69-year-old Philip Porter and 66-year-old Cheryle Porter, according to Fox News.

Storm ahead: Flight diverted from Myrtle Beach

The aircraft appeared to be en route to Grand Strand Airport in North Myrtle Beach. But partway through the journey, the plane abruptly turned back. A flight tracker showed it circling before veering north toward North Carolina. That was the last anyone saw of it—until wreckage was later found in a wooded area off Old Dothan Road.

Fire Chief Jeff Fowler of Tabor City told WSPA that it took two hours and a helicopter to locate the downed aircraft. “I got some smoke in the trees at my nine o’clock,” a pilot helping with the search reportedly said.

Plane was flying into dangerous weather

Aviation analyst Robert Katz, speaking to News13, pointed to a critical factor behind the crash- the bad weather near the Grand Strand area. Katz noted the pilot had been alerted to severe weather in the region but still continued flying toward it. “The plane circled away from the airport, then flew into thicker weather,” Katz said.

Records confirm the aircraft reached an altitude of 6,850 feet by 11:45 a.m. before its signal vanished. The same aircraft had reportedly completed this route on June 2 without incident.

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The aircraft was registered to Majesty Air, Inc., a Delaware-based company established in July 2022. Built in 1972, the Beechcraft had a long flight history, but no red flags have surfaced so far. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the crash and evaluate the pilot’s decisions leading up to it.

FAQs

1 What caused the Spartanburg plane crash?
Bad weather near Myrtle Beach likely led to the crash.

2 Who owned the plane N82UC?
It was registered to Majesty Air, Inc., a Delaware company formed in July 2022.

3 How long was the plane in the air?
The plane was in the air for roughly an hour and 14 minutes before radar contact was lost.

4 How many people died in the crash?
Two people from Spartanburg County lost their lives.