Piper PA-24-260 accident near Blairsville, GA
On October 13, 2021, a Piper PA-24-260 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Blairsville, GA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- October 13, 2021
- Place
- Blairsville, GA
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-260 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 34.881°N, 83.994°W
- NTSB ID
- 20211013104097
Official records · ERA22FA014
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn October 13, 2021, at 0816 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-24-260, N9126P, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident at Blairsville, Georgia. The private pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The instrument-rated pilot, who owned the airplane, filed an IFR flight plan from Blairsville Airport (DZJ) to Sebring Regional Airport (SEF), Sebring, Florida. At 0806, the pilot contacted air traffic control (ATC) and requested an IFR clearance from DZJ to SEF. A clearance void time of 0820 was issued, with instructions to contact Atlanta Center if not airborne by 0820, and to advise no later than 0825 of intentions. The pilot did not report airborne, and a search for the airplane was initiated. The DZJ airport manager subsequently called ATC to report that an airplane had crashed near DZJ. According to automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast (ADS-B) data, the pilot took off on runway 8 about 0815 and immediately commenced a left turn to the northwest to a heading of about 300°, at which point the airplane began a right turn before the ADS-B data ended. The airplane impacted trees and terrain on a heading of 090° about 1.5 nautical miles north of the departure end of runway 8. ADS-B data revealed that the airplane reached an altitude of about 540 ft above the ground before the data ended. The airport manager at DZJ reported that the pilot flew the airplane in the local traffic pattern the day before the accident; this was his normal procedure when he was preparing for a
Probable cause
The pilot’s decision to commence the flight in low IFR weather conditions, and making immediate turns after takeoff in IMC, resulting in spatial disorientation and a 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.
