Cessna 320D accident near Perry, Georgia, March 16, 2003
On March 16, 2003 at about 3:26 am local time, a Cessna 320D, registered N4137T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Perry, Georgia (Perry -Houston County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot continued visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions, and his failure to maintain altitude/terrain clearance.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 16, 2003 · about 3:26 am local time
- Place
- Perry, Georgia · Perry -Houston County · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 320D · all 320Ds on the register
- Registration
- N4137T · no longer on the register · serial 320D-0037
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Upon approaching the destination airport, the pilot established radio contact with Approach Control, and reported a cruise altitude of 7,500 feet. and a 138- degree heading. The pilot was issued the current altimeter setting and he requested current weather for Perry, Georgia. The nearest weather reporting facility reported 600-foot ceiling and 7 miles visibility. Later into the radio conversation, the pilot was asked if he was instrument qualified and the pilot stated he was instrument qualified. When the controller asked the pilot for his current flight conditions, the pilot reported that he was at 1300 feet and requested a direct heading to Perry. The controller told the pilot that the airport was 10 miles off his two o'clock position. At 2226:04, radio and radar contact was lost with the airplane. Witnesses near the accident site observed a fireball followed by a crashing sound. Within minutes, the airplane wreckage was located, and the passenger was rescued. Examination of the accident site disclosed that wreckage debris was scattered over an area 850 feet long and 75 feet wide. The examination of the wreckage path also revealed several fresh gouges in the dirt, and there were paint chips and other debris from the airframe embedded in the ground. There were also several fire-damaged pieces of airframe material scattered throughout the wreckage path. The fire-damaged rudder assembly was lodged in a tree about 400 feet south of the main wreckage. The main wreckage, which consisted of the airframe center section cockpit and empennage, was wrapped around the base of a pecan tree 725 feet north of the first freshly damaged pecan tree along the wreckage path. The left engine assembly was 75 feet northwest of the main airframe. Examination of the wreckage debris failed to disclose a mechanical malfunction or component failure.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,865 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,401 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 13, 2003
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Continental TSIO-520-B-9 (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Continental TSIO-520-B-9 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GZS Pulaski TN at 1:15 am
- Destination: Perry GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 5,002 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 030° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 am from MCN, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.