Pilot killed in North Myrtle Beach plane crash was FAA-certified medical examiner
The owner and operator of a plane that crashed in North Myrtle Beach on July 2, killing all five people on board, was a medical examiner whose recommendations helped determine the readiness of current and future pilots.
The Horry County Coroner’s Office on Wednesday identified Dr. Joseph Farnese, 66, of North Caldwell, N.J., as one of five people who perished in a fiery crash along Pete Dye Drive, part of the Barefoot Resort complex.
Farnese, who piloted the single-engine Piper PA-32, was an accredited aviation medical examiner for the FAA’s eastern region, according to an agency directory.
“Aviation Medical Examiners are a key element in the medical certification process, ensuring that airmen meet the medical standards prescribed in the Federal Aviation Regulations and are medically fit to perform safety-related duties,” aeromedical service company Pilot Medical Solutions says on its website.
AMEs play a vital role in the FAA Office of Aviation Medicine’s goal to promote aviation safety through excellence in aeromedical certification of airmen.”
The plane crashed one minute after taking off at 11:02 a.m. In its initial report, the FAA said a single-engine Piper PA32 crashed under “unknown circumstances” soon after departing from a Grand Strand Airport runway late Sunday morning.
Officials released the other victims’ names Wednesday. They were:
- Sean Gardner, 7, of East Orange, N.J.
- Odaycia Edwards, 17, of East Orange, N.J.
- Tanique Cheu, 32, of East Orange, N.J.
- Suzette Coleman-Edwards, 42, of East Orange, N.J.
Farnese was board certified in Florida, New Jersey and Pennsylvania and was affiliated with St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson, N.J., according to his profile on professional networking site doximity.
He was a 1984 graduate of the St. George’s University School of Medicine, located in the West Indies, Grenada.
This story was originally published July 5, 2023 at 8:37 PM.