Amateur-built PAZMANY PL-4A accident near Canton, Georgia, March 30, 1986
On March 30, 1986 at about 4:30 pm local time, a amateur-built PAZMANY PL-4A, registered N3942U, was destroyed in an accident near Canton, Georgia (Cherdkee County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 30, 1986 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Canton, Georgia · Cherdkee County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built PAZMANY PL-4A PAZMANY PL
- Registration
- N3942U · no longer on the register · serial 483
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT STRUCK A POWERLINE WIRE DURING AN ATTEMPTED GO-AROUND AFTER A BOUNCED LANDING. THE PLT ABORTED THE LANDING AND TURNED LEFT AT LOW ALT UNTIL IMPACT WITH A WIRE OCCURRED AT A DISTANCE OF ABOUT 300 FT LEFT OF THE RWY AND 1200 FT FROM THE APPROACH END. THE ACFT DOVE STRAIGHT INTO THE GROUND AFTER THE COLLISION AND CAME TO REST INVERTED ABOUT 150 FT FROM THE POINT OF COLLISION.
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: 462 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, June 18, 1985; 3 hours since
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin 4AC 176B2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 3,400 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
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.