Tragic Night Crash in S. Carolina: Two Pilots Severely Injured in Beechcraft BE55 Incident
Two pilots sustained serious injuries when a twin-engine Beechcraft BE55 Baron crashed during a nighttime training flight. The incident took place in the early hours of Thursday, July 2, 2026, in a heavily wooded area of Lancaster County, South Carolina.
The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office reported the crash around 1:00 a.m. The crash site was located behind a scrap yard off Brooklyn Avenue, near Springdale Road. Air Traffic Control recordings revealed that the pilots declared an emergency due to engine trouble. They attempted an emergency landing at Lancaster County Airport (McWhirter Field), but the aircraft crashed before reaching the runway. The plane tore through trees, came to rest on a hillside, and subsequently caught fire.
The two male occupants, believed to be pilots with Pressley Aviation — a flight school based in New London, North Carolina — were found near the burning wreckage. Despite suffering from serious burns, they were conscious and responsive when first responders arrived. They were airlifted to burn centers for treatment.
According to FlightAware data, the aircraft had departed from Poplarville-Pearl River County Airport in Mississippi and was en route to Stanly County Airport in Albemarle, North Carolina. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are currently investigating the cause of the accident. Lancaster County Sheriff Barry Faile expressed his concern, stating, “Our thoughts are with the two men in the plane, and we pray for their recovery.”
Source: FOX8 WGHP — Two Pilots Severely Burned After Training Flight Crashes in South Carolina Woods