Piper PA 28-180 accident near Cornelia, GA
On November 5, 2015, a Piper PA 28-180 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Cornelia, GA. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- November 5, 2015
- Place
- Cornelia, GA
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 28-180 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 34.503°N, 83.559°W
- NTSB ID
- 20151105X30937
Official records · ERA16FA032
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn November 4, 2015, about 2355, eastern standard time, a Piper PA-28-180 airplane, N57WV, impacted wooded terrain following a loss of control during approach to Habersham County Airport (AJR), Cornelia, Georgia. The private pilot and two passengers were fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot, and was being conducted as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Night instrument meteorological conditions existed at the airport at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Hazlehurst Airport (AZE), Hazlehurst, Georgia, about 2300 and was destined for AJR. According to a witness who was waiting for the airplane to arrive at AJR, the flight originated from Treasure Coast International Airport (FPR), Fort Pierce, Florida, earlier that evening. The witness received a text message from one of the passengers, which stated that the flight had just landed at AZE to refuel and that they had to circle around the airport a couple of times to find the runway because it was "awful cloudy" and there was a "low ceiling." According to the AZE airport manager, he heard the airplane depart about 2300 and noted that the AWOS was reporting 300 to 400 ft overcast. Another witness, who was waiting for the airplane to arrive at AJR, reported that he According to information from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the pilot was not receiving radar services nor was he communicating with air traffic control at any time during the accident flight. Radar dat
Probable cause
The pilot's decision to initiate the flight into known adverse weather conditions, which resulted in his spatial disorientation and loss of airplane control.
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Browse: Georgia · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
