Beechcraft A36 accident near Stone Mountain, Georgia, September 16, 2003
On September 16, 2003 at about 11:58 pm local time, a Beechcraft A36, registered N1980K, was destroyed in an accident near Stone Mountain, Georgia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's intentional flight into the ground for the purpose of suicide while impaired by alcohol.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 16, 2003 · about 11:58 pm local time
- Place
- Stone Mountain, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beechcraft A36 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N1980K · registry record · serial E1758
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,319 hours in all; 4,858 in this make and model; 5,319 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 1, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,042.9 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 25, 2002; 55.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-B5F (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: PDK Chamblee GA at 11:25 pm
- Destination: PDK Chamblee GA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 090° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.