HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — A former Horry County police officer sustained life-altering injuries while responding to a 2021 plane crash that was later blamed on faulty maintenance, according to a recently filed lawsuit.
Kevin McLean was among the first responders to a May 21, 2021, plane crash just off Socastee Boulevard in which the pilot, 60-year-old James Marklin Harper, was killed.
“Plaintiff was at the Myrtle Beach International Airport and witnessed the crash, so he rushed to the airplane to render aid. Suddenly, as Plaintiff attempted to render aid, the airplane exploded, knocking Plaintiff off his feet and violently throwing him backwards,” the suit — filed Feb. 5 in Horry County Common Pleas Court, said.
The suit names Myrtle Beach-based HeliJet Charters and PJS LLC, the plane’s registered owners, as defendants. Neither could immediately be reached for comment on Monday.
Days after the accident, a National Transportation Safety Board report concluded that the Piper PA-31P aircraft had its elevator trim tabs installed upside down during a May 19 inspection.