North American T-28C accident near Georgetown, Louisiana, October 22, 2006
On October 22, 2006, a North American T-28C, registered N470, was destroyed in an accident near Georgetown, Louisiana. 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 control of the airplane which led to an aerodynamic stall. A contributing factor was the dark night.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 22, 2006
- Place
- Georgetown, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- North American T-28C · all T-28Cs on the register
- Registration
- N470 · no longer on the register · serial 1405323
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot departed on a long cross-country flight in his single-engine experimental airplane that just had an overhauled engine installed. Prior to departure, he purchased 100 gallons of fuel but did not obtain a weather briefing or file a flight plan. While en route, as day turned into night, the pilot, who was receiving flight following services from air traffic control (ATC), announced to ATC that he needed to divert to another airport that was 40 miles south of his position for fuel. He also stated that he needed to descend to a lower altitude. A review of ATC and weather radar data revealed that as the airplane proceeded toward this airport, he flew through an area of light to moderate rain activity. Radar data revealed that the airplane unexpectedly initiated a left turn toward the east-northeast and disappeared from radar. According to the last 60 seconds of radar data, the airplane made several climbs and descents and the ground speed decelerated from 173 knots to 113 knots before the data ended. The airplane came to rest in a heavily wooded terrain on a heading of 331 degrees, approximately 2 miles northwest of the last radar return and approximately 16 miles southeast of another airport that offered fuel services. The airplane impacted terrain in a near vertical descent, and the entire engine assembly, including two propeller blades, were imbedded about 8-10 feet into the ground. There was no evidence of a fuel spill at the accident site. The airplane was reported to have a fuel endurance range of 2.5 hours. Examination of the airplane did not reveled any pre mishap deficiencies with the airframe or the engine.
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: 977 hours in all; 386 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,564.1 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, October 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 8,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Wright R-1820 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CPS St. Louis IL at 10:00 pm
- Destination: LKC Lake Charles LA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from AEX, 25 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.