Piper PA-28-151 accident near Macon, Georgia, March 4, 2002
On March 4, 2002 at about 4:08 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-151, registered N41340, was substantially damaged in an accident near Macon, Georgia (Herbert Smart airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a tree while maneuvering after takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 4, 2002 · about 4:08 pm local time
- Place
- Macon, Georgia · Herbert Smart · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-151 · all PA-28-151s on the register
- Registration
- N41340 · registry record · serial PA28-7415177
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to a witness, the certified flight instructor (CFI) and his student were on an instrument training flight in the local area. They climbed to approximately 400 feet and reported that they were returning to the airport for a landing on runway 10. A witness departed from runway 33, flew over the airport at 2000 feet, and saw the airplane wreckage in a sand pit. Examination of the wreckage site revealed that the airplane collided with a stand of pine trees 3/4 miles southwest of the airport. Wreckage debris was scattered over an area of 256 feet long and 52 feet wide. No mechanical or flight control problems were reported by the CFI prior to the accident. No mechanical problems were discovered during the aircraft wreckage examination.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 541 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 401 as pilot in command; 44 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 5, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
Dual student
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 66 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 25 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 4, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,982 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 8, 2002; 66 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E3D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Mcn, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: MAC Macon GA at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 28, 4,696 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 3:00 pm from MAC, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.