Amateur-built Mini-Max accident near Covington, Georgia, July 3, 2005
On July 3, 2005 at about 4:20 pm local time, a amateur-built Mini-Max, registered N11949, was destroyed in an accident near Covington, Georgia (Covington Municipal Airport). 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 failure to maintain airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall, uncontrolled descent, and subsequent collision with the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 3, 2005 · about 4:20 pm local time
- Place
- Covington, Georgia · Covington Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Mini-Max
- Registration
- N11949 · no longer on the register · serial 001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was the builder of the airplane, and, according to witnesses, the accident flight was the airplane's first flight. The airplane took off from the runway, climbed to only 100 to 200 feet, and executed turns to the downwind with audible engine power adjustments before it banked and dove straight to the ground. No evidence of pre-impact flight control malfunction was observed, and damage precluded engine testing. The maximum gross weight of the airplane was exceeded for the flight. The pilot was not current with regard to his FAA airman medical certificate and flight review requirements.
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: 140 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 0 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 560 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 447 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: K9A1 Covington GA at 4:18 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 10, 4,200 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 13,000 ft; scat at 8,500 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:51 pm from KATL, 29 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.