Beechcraft A36 N1980K
16 September 2003 · Stone Mountain, Georgia, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 16 September 2003 at about 23:58 local time, a Beechcraft A36 registered N1980K was involved in an accident near Stone Mountain, Georgia, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 23:58
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Stone Mountain, Georgia, United States
- Coordinates
- 33.8017, -84.1353
- Aircraft
- Beechcraft A36
- Registration
- N1980K
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Chamblee → Chamblee
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Dusk
- NTSB number
- ATL03FA140
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's intentional flight into the ground for the purpose of suicide while impaired by alcohol.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
Witnesses stated that they observed the airplane circling the mountain just prior to the accident. Radar data confirmed what the witnesses saw and that the airplane made five complete counterclockwise circles of the mountain. On the sixth circuit farther out from the mountain than the preceding five circuits it turned in and headed straight toward the mountain. Radar contact was lost at 1958 while the airplane was in a rapid descent at a ground speed of 179 knots. There was no evidence of a mechanical malfunction with the airplane, or weather related factors. The flight profile of sudden rapid descent and pitch-up could not have occurred without pilot input. The pilot had consumed alcohol in the hours before the accident according to a witness. It was unusual behavior for the pilot to be flying so soon after drinking, given statements by several witnesses that he was careful to never fly within at least 12 hours of alcohol consumption. Additionally, it was found that the pilot had threatened suicide in the past on more then one occasion under similar circumstances.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Beechcraft A36 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 May 2003 | Beechcraft A36 | Farmingdale, New Jersey, United States | Paul A. Bray | Fatal | 1 |
| 11 Jul 2003 | Beechcraft A36 | Miyazaki, Japan | Civil Aviation College | Fatal | 3 |
| 24 Mar 2003 | Beechcraft A36 | Farmington, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Mar 2003 | Beechcraft A36 | Naples, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 Mar 2003 | Beechcraft A36 | Tavernier, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 28 Mar 2003 | Beechcraft A36 | New Vienna, Iowa, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Apr 2003 | Mooney M20E | Milledgeville, Georgia, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 21 Mar 2003 | Cessna 172S | Monroe, Georgia, United States | Elite Flight Center | Fatal | 2 |
| 22 Aug 2003 | Stinson 108-2 | Camilla, Georgia, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 23 Mar 2003 | Cessna 172M | Savannah, Georgia, United States | Robert F. Jenkins | Serious injuries | - |
| 3 Jan 2003 | Cessna 150K | Jessup, Georgia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Mar 2003 | Cessna 320D | Perry, Georgia, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |