Piper PA-32RT-300 accident near Cartersville, Georgia, February 16, 1999
On February 16, 1999 at about 8:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-32RT-300, registered N21724, was destroyed in an accident near Cartersville, Georgia (Cartersville Bartow CO 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
In flight collision with terrain for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 16, 1999 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Cartersville, Georgia · Cartersville Bartow CO · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32RT-300 PA-32RT-30 · all PA-32RT-300s on the register
- Registration
- N21724 · no longer on the register · serial 32R 7885261
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness observed the airplane flying 'very low' towards the Cartersville Airport, Cartersville, Georgia, when she heard the engine quit, and observed the airplane nose down and crash into the trees. Witnesses at the Cartersville Airport stated that the accident airplane never contacted them on their Unicom frequency. The airplane impacted into a wooded field about 1.6 miles northeast of the airport. The impact destroyed the airplane, scattering debris for about 700 feet on a southeast heading. Several large diameter trees were broken, or cut and components of the airplane were hanging in branches of surrounding trees. Residents adjacent to the field reported smelling a strong odor of fuel shortly after the crash. During the teardown inspection of the engine there were no pre-impact discrepancies found, nor were there any pre-impact discrepancies found with the airframe. The autopsy and toxicology reports were also non-conclusive.
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: 1,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,086 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 4, 1999
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RYY Marietta GA at 7:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from MGE, 15 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.