Date:	Saturday 3 March 2001
Time:	09:55
Type:	Shorts C-23B+ Sherpa (360)
Owner/operator:	Florida Army National Guard
Registration:	93-1336
MSN:	SH.3420
Year of manufacture:	1985
Engine model:	P&W Canada PT6A-65AR
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 21 / Occupants: 21
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	near Unadilla, GA -   United States of America
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Hurlburt Field, FL (KHRT)
Destination airport:	Oceana NAS, VA (NTU/KNTU)
Investigating agency:	USAF AIB

Narrative:
The Florida Army National Guard Shorts C-23B+ Sherpa crashed and burst into flames in a farm field in heavy rain, killing all on board.

All of the passengers were members of a Virginia-based military construction and engineering crew on a routine training mission. The plane's pilot and two other crew members were members of the 171st Aviation Regiment of the Florida Army National Guard.

The Collateral Investigation Board initially concluded their investigation by suggesting that the flight was "operated in an 'out-of-CG' condition that exceeded the aircraft design limits, rendering the aircraft unstable and leading to a violent departure from controlled flight." They suggested the triggering factor was not the weather, but a flight crew member vacating the flight deck to go to the rear of the aircraft.
This conclusion was not accepted by The Adjudant General of the Florida ANG who had convened the board.
A follow-up investigation concluded:
Causes of the Accident: "Aviation mishaps are seldom caused by a single factor. This one was no exception. The primary cause was an extreme incidence of turbulence and wind shear associated with a developing severe thunderstorm at the location and altitude of the aircraft. Additional contributing factors included crew error in the flight planning of route selection, an intermittent and weak weather radar, and undetermined center of gravity of cargo. These factors in combination, led to a series of events that placed the aircraft in the exact position and time to be struck by turbulence and wind shear of a magnitude that causes chaos in the cockpit and structural damage to the aircraft."

USAF AIB
St. Petersburg Times

This C-23B Sherpa was originally built as a Shorts 360 (SH-3684) in December 1985 and was delivered to Simmons Airlines as N374MQ In 1998 the aircraft was converted to a Sherpa C-23B+.

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
22-Aug-2025 12:25	ASN	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]
22-Aug-2025 12:45	ASN	Updated [Narrative, ]
22-Aug-2025 12:45	ASN	Updated [Narrative, ]