What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) On February 11, 2004, about 2115 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-28-180, N6473J, registered to and operated by the private pilot, collided with trees and the ground during approach to bacon county airport, Alma, Georgia. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of title 14 CFR part 91 with no flight plan filed. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed. The private pilot, the private pilot-rated passenger, and the other passenger received fatal injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight departed fort lauderdale executive airport, fort lauderdale, Florida, about 1800. According to witnesses, the pilot departed fort lauderdale, Florida, alone and picked up the two passengers in fort pierce, Florida. According to air traffic control records, the flight then proceeded north under visual flight rules with flight following. An air traffic control supervisor stated the pilot advised controllers he was proceeding to the bacon county airport, Alma, Georgia, for fuel. The flight was observed on radar heading directly for the airport in a shallow descent, and the flight descended below radar coverage approximately nine miles southeast of the airpurt. A controller advised the pilot that radar services were terminated, and the pilot acknowledged. When the flight failed to arrive at its destination, family members initiated a search. Air and ground search parties detected an emergency locator transmitter signal and found the airplane in a wooded area 0.9 NM southeast of the runway 33 threshold, approximately 1,100 feet left of a straight-in course for runway 33. Examination of the accident site revealed the main wreckage was found inverted at the base of pine trees freshly scraped and broken approximately 55 feet above ground level. A pine tree freshly broken approximately 58 feet above ground level was located 310 feet southeast of the main wreckage. Treetop branches approximately three feet long were found at its base, and paint chips, broken pine branches, and wreckage debris extended from the freshly broken tree to the main wreckage along a 008 degree magnetic heading. The inboard portions of both wings, the stabilator, and vertical stabilizer were attached to the fuselage and displayed crush damage. The outboard left wing and the leading edge of the outboard right wing were separated and displayed crush damage. Both wingyuel tanks were breached, and fuel was observed leaking from both tanks. The automated weather observation system at the bacon county airport reported at 2104 winds calm, visibility 1 3/4 statute mile with light rain and mist, clouds scattered 600 feet above ground level, ceilings broken 1,600 feet above ground level, overcast 2,100 feet above ground level, temperature 11 degrees centigrade, and dew point 11 degrees centigrade.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) ON FEBRUARY 11, 2004, ABOUT 2115 EASTERN STANDARD TIME, A PIPER PA-28-180, N6473J, REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY THE PRIVATE PILOT, COLLIDED WITH TREES AND THE GROUND DURING APPROACH TO BACON COUNTY AIRPORT, ALMA, GEORGIA. THE PERSONAL FLIGHT WAS OPERATED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 WITH NO FLIGHT PLAN FILED. INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED. THE PRIVATE PILOT, THE PRIVATE PILOT-RATED PASSENGER, AND THE OTHER PASSENGER RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES. THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED FORT LAUDERDALE EXECUTIVE AIRPORT, FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA, ABOUT 1800. ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE PILOT DEPARTED FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA, ALONE AND PICKED UP THE TWO PASSENGERS IN FORT PIERCE, FLORIDA. ACCORDING TO AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL RECORDS, THE FLIGHT THEN PROCEEDED NORTH UNDER VISUAL FLIGHT RULES WITH FLIGHT FOLLOWING. AN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SUPERVISOR STATED THE PILOT ADVISED CONTROLLERS HE WAS PROCEEDING TO THE BACON COUNTY AIRPORT, ALMA, GEORGIA, FOR FUEL. THE FLIGHT WAS OBSERVED ON RADAR HEADING DIRECTLY FOR THE AIRPORT IN A SHALLOW DESCENT, AND THE FLIGHT DESCENDED BELOW RADAR COVERAGE APPROXIMATELY NINE MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE AIRPURT. A CONTROLLER ADVISED THE PILOT THAT RADAR SERVICES WERE TERMINATED, AND THE PILOT ACKNOWLEDGED. WHEN THE FLIGHT FAILED TO ARRIVE AT ITS DESTINATION, FAMILY MEMBERS INITIATED A SEARCH. AIR AND GROUND SEARCH PARTIES DETECTED AN EMERGENCY LOCATOR TRANSMITTER SIGNAL AND FOUND THE AIRPLANE IN A WOODED AREA 0.9 NM SOUTHEAST OF THE RUNWAY 33 THRESHOLD, APPROXIMATELY 1,100 FEET LEFT OF A STRAIGHT-IN COURSE FOR RUNWAY 33. EXAMINATION OF THE ACCIDENT SITE REVEALED THE MAIN WRECKAGE WAS FOUND INVERTED AT THE BASE OF PINE TREES FRESHLY SCRAPED AND BROKEN APPROXIMATELY 55 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL. A PINE TREE FRESHLY BROKEN APPROXIMATELY 58 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL WAS LOCATED 310 FEET SOUTHEAST OF THE MAIN WRECKAGE. TREETOP BRANCHES APPROXIMATELY THREE FEET LONG WERE FOUND AT ITS BASE, AND PAINT CHIPS, BROKEN PINE BRANCHES, AND WRECKAGE DEBRIS EXTENDED FROM THE FRESHLY BROKEN TREE TO THE MAIN WRECKAGE ALONG A 008 DEGREE MAGNETIC HEADING. THE INBOARD PORTIONS OF BOTH WINGS, THE STABILATOR, AND VERTICAL STABILIZER WERE ATTACHED TO THE FUSELAGE AND DISPLAYED CRUSH DAMAGE. THE OUTBOARD LEFT WING AND THE LEADING EDGE OF THE OUTBOARD RIGHT WING WERE SEPARATED AND DISPLAYED CRUSH DAMAGE. BOTH WINGYUEL TANKS WERE BREACHED, AND FUEL WAS OBSERVED LEAKING FROM BOTH TANKS. THE AUTOMATED WEATHER OBSERVATION SYSTEM AT THE BACON COUNTY AIRPORT REPORTED AT 2104 WINDS CALM, VISIBILITY 1 3/4 STATUTE MILE WITH LIGHT RAIN AND MIST, CLOUDS SCATTERED 600 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL, CEILINGS BROKEN 1,600 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL, OVERCAST 2,100 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL, TEMPERATURE 11 DEGREES CENTIGRADE, AND DEW POINT 11 DEGREES CENTIGRADE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.