Myrtle Beach, SC tops Hilton Head in plane crashes, deaths in recent years: By the numbers
Five aircraft have crashed in the Myrtle Beach area so far this year, while Hilton Head has not seen any accidents since 2019.
July 2023 had three crashes in the Myrtle Beach area, the most recorded in a month in the region since 2000, according to the National Transportation Safety Board, NTSB.
On Sunday, a single-engine Cessna 182 plane made an emergency landing on Highway 22 in North Myrtle Beach. The two adults and two children aboard were not injured, though the plane was damaged, according to a Facebook post by Horry County Fire Rescue.
On July 2, all five aboard a single-engine Piper PA-32 died when the plane crashed in North Myrtle Beach.
On July 4, a tourist helicopter was damaged during takeoff at the Myrtle Beach International Airport, injuring three people, according to NTSB records.
One person was seriously injured in a United Airlines Boeing 737 on July 28. The NTSB has not released a preliminary report on the incident.
On July 31, a banner plane crashed into the ocean off of Myrtle Beach. The pilot was taken to the hospital. This incident is not included in the NTSB database.
Since 2000, the Myrtle Beach area has experienced more than twice the number of crashes than the Hilton Head area, another S.C. coastal tourist destination.
Here are plane accidents in the Myrtle Beach area by the numbers, according to NTSB data from January 2000 through July 2023.
Myrtle Beach area
- Crashes: 51
- Fatalities: 33
- Types of planes that crash: Piper, 18. Cessna, 7.
- Twice the state percentage of helicopter crashes — 14% in Myrtle Beach area versus 7% in S.C.
- Cities: Aiken, Conway, Georgetown, Longs, Loris, Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach.
Hilton Head area
- Crashes: 20
- Fatalities: 9
- Types of planes that crash: Cessna, 3. Mooney, 2.
- Has not had an accident since May 2019.
- Cities: Beaufort, Bluffton, Hilton Head, Hunting Island.
This story was originally published August 14, 2023 at 5:03 PM.
