# NTSB ERA22FA199: Cessna 340, N84GR, Covington, GA, April 21, 2022 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Class 3 · Field · Final report - Date: April 21, 2022, 18:44 local (22:44 UTC) - Place: Covington, GA · semi-trailer parking lot - Coordinates: 33.62488, -83.82656 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.6249&lon=-83.8266&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Maneuvering: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 2 fatal - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Eastern Region Aviation - Parties: FAA/FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 104986 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ERA22FA199 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/104986/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=104986 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA22FA199 ## Probable cause The private pilot’s loss of control in flight, which resulted in a collision with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the student pilot’s decision to obtain flight instruction from the private pilot and the private pilot's insufficient qualifications to fly or to provide flight instruction in a multi-engine airplane. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Experience/qualifications: qualification/certification](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02031010): Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 340, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02031010/cases.md?model=2076404), [All aircraft, 280 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02031010/cases.md) - [Performance/control parameters: lateral/bank control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062023): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Capability exceeded (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 340, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062023/cases.md?model=2076404), [All aircraft, 390 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062023/cases.md) - [Info processing/decision: decision making/judgment](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 340, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520/cases.md?model=2076404), [All aircraft, 3,098 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520/cases.md) - [Info processing/decision: decision making/judgment](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Student/instructed pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 340, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520/cases.md?model=2076404), [All aircraft, 3,098 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520/cases.md) - [Use of equip/info: aircraft control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 340, 5 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md?model=2076404), [All aircraft, 9,295 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Maneuvering: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) (defining event); cases with it: [Cessna 340, 5 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md?model=2076404), [All aircraft, 5,002 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md) ## Analysis The student pilot, who was the new owner of the multi-engine airplane, and a private pilot flew commercially to Lubbock, Texas, utilized a ride-hailing service to drive to Portales, New Mexico; they met with the former owner of the airplane to finalize the purchase of the airplane and flew it back to Georgia the same day. The next day, the student pilot commenced flight training with the private pilot who offered to provide flight instruction to the student pilot in the student pilot’s newly acquired multi-engine airplane, even though he did not possess a flight instructor’s rating or a multi-engine airplane rating. Radar data showed that the track of the accident airplane's route consisted of their departure airport, a midway stop, and the third leg of the flight, where it crashed during the approach to their destination airport. Witnesses observed a sharp right turn before the airplane’s spiraling descent and impact with terrain and unoccupied semi-trailers. Surveillance footage from a parking lot security camera captured the airplane in a right spiral turn just before the accident. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and the postimpact fire. The postaccident examination of the airframe, engines, and propellers revealed no anomalies that would preclude normal engine and airplane performance. Additionally, a review of the maintenance logbook revealed that the airplane was overdue for its annual maintenance inspection; no special flight permit (ferry permit) was obtained from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for its return flight to Georgia. Toxicological testing of the student pilot revealed the presence amphetamine, a prescription Schedule II controlled substance that may result in cognitive deficits that pose a risk to aviation safety; however, its effect, if any on the accident flight could not be determined. It is likely that the private pilot’s failure to maintain aircraft control was exacerbated by his lack of a multi-engine airplane rating, his lack of a flight instructor rating, and his poor decision making. ## Factual narrative HISTORY OF FLIGHT On April 21, 2022, at 1844 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 340, N84GR, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident in Covington, Georgia. The private pilot and student pilot were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the student pilot's partner, both the student pilot, who was the new owner of the multi-engine airplane, and a private pilot flew to Lubbock, Texas, on a commercial airline on April 20, 2022, the day before the accident. Then they took an Uber to Portales, New Mexico, to meet with the former owner of the airplane to finalize the purchase of the airplane so that they could fly it back to Georgia the same day. They departed Portales Municipal Airport (RPZ) and arrived at the Covington Municipal Airport (CVC) in Atlanta, Georgia, about 11 pm. She stated that on the next day, the student pilot began his flight training with the private pilot, whom she believed to be his flight instructor. She added that the student pilot had recently met the private pilot who offered to teach him how to fly the multi-engine airplane. According to radar data provided by the FAA, the accident airplane departed Dekalb-Peachtree Airport (PDK) in Atlanta, Georgia, about 1640 and flew to Gwinnett County Airport-Briscoe Field (LZU) in Lawrenceville, Georgia, arriving about 1650. The airplane departed LZU about 1712 and arrived at Lumpkin County-Wimpey’s Airport (9A0) in Dahlonega, Georgia, about 1731. On the third leg of the flight, it departed 9A0 about 1813, enroute to CVC, where it crashed during approach in the vicinity of the airport about 1844. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and the postimpact fire. Multiple witnesses in the accident vicinity reported seeing the airplane execute a hard right banking turn, followed by a spiral descent and impact with a row of unoccupied semi-trailers. Surveillance footage from a parking lot security camera captured the airplane in a right spiral turn just before the accident, which corroborated witness accounts. PILOT INFORMATION PRIVATE PILOT The private pilot who offered to instruct the student on flying the multi-engine airplane held a single-engine land rating, but he did not have a multi-engine land airplane rating or a flight instructor’s rating. The private pilot's logbook was not available for review to verify the currency of his flight experience. However, he reported flight experience of 3,148 total hours, with 31 hours in the last six months as of December 12, 2016. The pilot was issued a second-class medical certificate without limitations. STUDENT PILOT The student pilot reported zero total flight hours and zero hours in the last six months as of his medical exam dated January 26, 2022. The student pilot was issued a second-class medical certificate without limitation. The student pilot’s logbook was not available for review to verify the currency of his flight experience. AIRCRAFTINFORMATION A review of the maintenance logbooks indicated that the aircraft had surpassed its annual inspection deadline by over a month, which was March 4, 2021. Since the airplane was “out-of-annual,” a special flight permit, commonly referred to as a "ferry permit,” was required for it to be flown. No FAA Form 8130-6, "Application for U.S. Airworthiness Certificate" for special flight permits, was issued for the airplane for it to fly to Georgia from New Mexico. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION The aircraft wreckage was located 1 nautical mile southeast of runway 10/28. It impacted an unoccupied semi-truck trailer and commercial business parking lot. A postimpact fire consumed most of the airframe. Remnants of the right horizontal stabilizer and elevator were found within the debris area. Remnants of the vertical stabilizer and rudder were also located within the debris area. Flight control cables were found within the debris area and were traced from the remnants of the control surfaces to their respective bellcranks. Flight control cables were also traced to the flight controls within the cockpit. The cockpit and instrument panel were destroyed by the postcrash fire. Engine control positions were unreliable due to fire and impact damage. Examination of both engines revealed fire and impact damage. All fuel lines and ignition wiring on both engines were destroyed by the postcrash fire. Both engines separated from the airframe and sustained thermal damage. Each cylinder was examined with a lighted borescope. No obvious preimpact abnormalities were noted in either engine. Both vacuum pump drive shafts were melted. Charred debris was observed in the left engine fuel injector Nos. 1, 4, and 5; similar debris was observed in the right engine fuel injector Nos. 2 and 4. The left engine fuel distribution valve burned away, exposing the screen. The right engine fuel distribution valve gasket burned and deposited burned debris on the screen. Examination of the propellers revealed both had similar impact damage. All three blades on both propellers were partially consumed in the postcrash fire. Blade damage included visible chordwise/rotational scoring on several blades in each propeller, bending in the aft/drag direction. The blades were twisted towards low pitch with leading-edge gouging consistent with impact while rotating with power. There was no damage to indicate either propeller was feathered at the time of impact. Internal damage on the preload plates and fork slots indicated the blade angle on both propellers was in the low pitch range at impact. There were no anomalies noted in the components examined that would prevent or degrade normal operation before impact with terrain. All damage was consistent with high impact forces. MEDICAL REVIEW AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION Private Pilot The Georgia Bureau of Investigation Division of Forensic Sciences performed the pilot’s autopsy at the request of the Newton County Coroner. According to theautopsy report, the cause of death was multiple blunt impact injuries and the manner of death was accident. Toxicology testing performed at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory was negative for carbon monoxide and drugs. Student Pilot The Georgia Bureau of Investigation Division of Forensic Sciences performed the student pilot’s autopsy at the request of the Newton County Coroner. According to the autopsy report, the cause of death was inhalation of products of combustion and thermal injuries, and the manner of death was accident. Toxicology testing performed at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory was negative for carbon monoxide. Amphetamine, a prescription Schedule II controlled substance was detected in heart blood at 60 ng/mL and urine at 1531 ng/mL. Cetirizine, an over-the-counter antihistamine was detected at a low level in heart blood, and in urine at 121 ng/mL. (See Medical Factual Memorandum of Record). ## Aircraft - Registration: [N84GR](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N84GR-2023-03-04), registration cancelled 2023-03-04, S/N 340-0178, built 1973 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 340 (UNDESIGNATED SERIES) - Registry model: [Cessna 340](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-340) (registry code 2076404) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental TSIO-520 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-tsio-520-series) (registry code 17040, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 340-0178 - Year built: 1973 - Airframe hours: 7581 - Engines: Continental TSIO-520-K 335 horsepower reciprocating; Continental TSIO-520-NB 335 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Destroyed - Fire: On-Ground - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, March 4, 2021 - Departed: 9A0, Dahlonega, GA - Destination: CVC, Covington, GA - Airport: KCVC, Covington Municipal Airport - Equipment: ADS-B ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 50; injuries: fatal; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 2, without waivers/limitations; toxicology performed; flight hours: 3,148 total, 0 in this make and model, 31 in the last 90 days - Student pilot; age 33; injuries: fatal; student; medical: class 2, without waivers/limitations; toxicology performed; flight hours: 0 total, 0 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: calm - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 73 °F, dew point 54 °F - Altimeter: 30.35 inHg - Observed at: CVC, 1 nm away - METAR: SA 21/04/2022 22:35-> METAR KCVC 212235Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 23/12 A3035 RMK AO2 ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20220421008939A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20220421008939A), Apr 21, 2022: Cessna 340, Covington, GA, Destroyed, 2 fatal. Private pilot rated in airplane single engine land only was reportedly giving flight instruction in a multi-engine aircraft to a student pilot at the time of… ## Docket (14 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 5, 2024, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=104986. 280 MB in all. - Mfr previous owner statement (item 1, PDF, 1 page, 72 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16775795&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Previous%20Owner%20Statement%20N84GR-Rel.pdf - Student pilot partner statement (item 2, PDF, 3 pages, 519 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16769913&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Student%20Pilot%20partner%20statement%20FA199-Rel.pdf - Witness statements (item 3, PDF, 5 pages, 2.1 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16780510&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Witness%20statements%20FA199_Redacted-Rel.pdf - ADS-B flight track (item 4, PDF, 2 pages, 1.2 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=17175631&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=ERA22FA199%20ADS-B%20Flight%20Track-Rel.pdf - ADS-B flight data points (item 5, PDF, 804 pages, 10.5 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16786895&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Previous%20flight%20Raw%20ADSB%20Data-Rel.pdf - Mfr excerpt for reference a� 21.197 - special flight permits (item 6, PDF, 5 pages, 803 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16785783&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=MFR%20Special%20Flight%20Permit%20FA199-Rel.pdf - Maintenance logbook excerpts (item 7, PDF, 4 pages, 249 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16769559&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=MX%20logbook%20excerpts%20FA199_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Last aircraft maintenace performed (item 8, PDF, 8 pages, 4.1 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16770363&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Maintenance%20Performed%2016AUG2021_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Hartzell propeller examination report (item 9, PDF, 20 pages, 7.5 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16777857&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=ERA22FA199%20Hartzell%20Prop%20Report%20No.%20220421-Rel.pdf - Toxicological report (item 10, PDF, 2 pages, 292 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=17003204&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Tox%20reports%20FA199_Redacted-Rel.pdf - ERA22FA199_covington ga medical factual memorandum of record (item 11, PDF, 5 pages, 178 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16937765&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=ERA22FA199_COVINGTON%20GA%20Medical%20Factual%20Memorandum%20of%20Record-Rel.pdf - Investigative photos (item 12, PDF, 6 pages, 2.4 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16778173&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Investigative%20Photos%20FA199-Rel.pdf - Statement of party representatives to NTSB investigation (item 13, PDF, 10 pages, 735 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16781740&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Party%20Forms%20Textron%20and%20Hartzell_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Release of aircraft wreckage, NTSB form 6120.15 (item 14, PDF, 1 page, 545 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=17095498&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Wreckage%20Release%20FA199_Redacted-Rel.pdf 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.