Cessna 150G accident near High Falls, Georgia, January 27, 2004
On January 27, 2004 at about 9:11 pm local time, a Cessna 150G, registered N2981J, was substantially damaged in an accident near High Falls, 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 impairment due to alcohol which resulted in his failure to maintain adequate airspeed, inadvertent stall, and subsequent in-flight collision with trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 27, 2004 · about 9:11 pm local time
- Place
- High Falls, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150G · all 150Gs on the register
- Registration
- N2981J · no longer on the register · serial 15065781
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to several witnesses, who lived in the local area, the airplane was observed circling over several homes at a low altitude. Witnesses stated that the pilot was waving his hand out of the window. The witnesses observed the airplane in a steep turn. According to the witnesses, while in a steep turn the airplane descended nose down into the trees. The pilot had been buzzing the immediate vicinity for at least 30 minutes prior to the accident. Numerous 911 calls were received when an unidentified aircraft was seen flying 30 feet above Interstate I-75 in the vicinity of High Falls, Georgia. During the post-accident examination on the airplane found that one unopened beer can was observed near the wreckage. On toxicology evaluation, ethanol was detected in the pilot's blood at a level of 131 mg/dL (0.131%) and in the vitreous at 135 mg/dL.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 119 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,409.6 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4A0 Berry Hill GA at 7:53 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 16 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,700 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from ATL, 20 miles away
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.