- Date
- March 10, 2020, 16:45 local (20:45 UTC)
- Place
- Social Circle, GA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N23TNAmerican Legand AL18
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Low altitude operation/event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 27, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20200310010019A
- Case key
- 101093
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control while maneuvering at low altitude, which resulted in the collision with terrain.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
According to the pilot, he was conducting a low pass through an abandoned power line easement on a small lake peninsula. He was flying directly into the wind, and as the airplane approached hilly terrain, the wind changed. The airplane then encountered turbulence and impacted terrain. The airplane subsequently bounced, and the pilot applied "heavy braking, The airplane then nosed over and came to rest inverted, which resulted in substantial damage to the right-wing strut and rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, he was doing a low pass through an abandoned powerline easement on a small lake peninsula, which included a small hill. He was flying directly into the wind and as the airplane approached the hill, the wind direction changed as a result of the terrain, and the airplane encountered mechanical turbulence. The airplane wheels impacted the ground, the airplane bounced, and the pilot applied "heavy braking." Subsequently, the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted, which resulted in substantial damage to the right-wing strut and rudder. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The winds reported at an airport 6 miles to the northwest of the accident location were variable from 270° to 330° at 7 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N23TN
- Reported as
- American Legand AL18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- AL-1206
- Built
- 2016
- Airframe hours
- 101
- Engine
- Lycoming YO-233-B2A, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental light sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 2019
- Departed
- 1GA9 · Monroe, GA
- Destination
- 1GA9 · Monroe, GA
- Equipment
- Onboard weather, Handheld GPS, ADS-B
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 21, 2019
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 4,553 total · 158 in this make and model · 4,125 as pilot in command · 62 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,400 ft broken
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.27 inHg
- Turbulence
- Unknown
- Observed at
- D73, 6 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 9, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 8.6 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.