# Accident 20170701007519A: Piper PA-23-250, Chatsworth, GA, July 1, 2017

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 1, 2017, 16:44 local time
- Place: Chatsworth, GA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.7114° N, 84.7281° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.7114&lon=-84.7281&mi=10
- Aircraft: N44HJ, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N44HJ-2019-09-06) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-23-250 (registry code 7102308, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-23-250) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming TI0-540 series (registry code 41533, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-23-250
- Reported engine: LYCOMING TI0-540 SER
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 4
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA17FA222](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA17FA222) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20170701007519A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON JULY 01, 2017, APPROXIMATELY 1645 LOCAL TIME A TWIN ENGINE PIPER AZTEC PA23-250 AIRCRAFT WITH FOUR PERSONS ON BOARD (NO SURVIVORS) CAME APART IN FLIGHT OUTSIDE THE CITY OF CHATSWORTH, GEORGIA LOCATED IN MURRAY COUNTY GEORGIA. PILOT FLEW INTO A THUNDERSTORM ON A NORTHEAST HEADING ATTEMPTING TO REACH MCMINN COUNTY AIRPORT [MMI], LOCATED AT ATHENS, TENNESSEE. WEATHER AT THE TIME OF CRASH WAS REPORTED BY WITNESSES HEAVY RAIN, WINDS, WITH LIGHTNING AND THUNDER.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ERA17FA222](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA17FA222), Jul 1, 2017: Piper PA23 (N44HJ), Chatsworth, GA, destroyed, 4 fatal. Probable cause: The noninstrument-rated pilot's continued visual flight rules flight into adverse weather conditions, which resulted in an encounter with severe convective activity, spatial disorientation, a loss of…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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