Piper PA-32R-300 accident near Macon, Georgia, May 27, 2013
On May 27, 2013 at about 10:05 pm local time, a 1976 Piper PA-32R-300, registered N4489F, was destroyed in an accident during emergency descent near Macon, Georgia (Middle Georgia Regional airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A total loss of engine power due to oil starvation for reasons that could not be determined due to extensive postcrash fire and heat damage to the engine components.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 27, 2013 · about 10:05 pm local time
- Place
- Macon, Georgia · Middle Georgia Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R-300 32R-768045, built 1976 · all PA-32R-300s on the register
- Registration
- N4489F · no longer on the register · serial 32R-7680452
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A review of air traffic control information revealed that, during the cross-county flight, the pilot requested clearance for a precautionary landing at a nearby airport due to a low oil pressure indication. Shortly after the flight was cleared for landing, the pilot reported that the engine had lost total power. The pilot advised the air traffic controller that he could not make it to the airport and requested to land at a military base that was closer to his current position. The pilot was cleared to land at the military base; however, he never established radio contact with the military base tower. The airplane crashed about 0.8 mile northeast of the base in a heavily wooded swamp, and a postcrash fire ensued. An examination of the engine revealed that the crankcase was fractured in the areas of the Nos. 4, 5, and 6 cylinders, that the camshaft was fractured, and that the Nos. 4, 5, and 6 connecting rods were separated from the crankshaft. The Nos. 1 and 2 connecting rod bearings and the Nos. 2 and 3 main bearings exhibited wiping, scoring, and extrusion signatures consistent with oil starvation. Although review of maintenance records revealed that Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness directives for the replacement of the oil cooler hose and the oil filter converter plate gasket were not accomplished, extensive postcrash fire and heat damage to the engine components precluded a determination of the cause of the oil starvation.
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
What happened, in order
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during emergency descent defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Eng oil sys (airframe furnish) › Pressure › Malfunction
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng oil sys › Failure
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Rough terrain › Contributed to outcome
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng oil sys › Not serviced/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Oil › Fluid level
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,050 hours in all; 10,050 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,917.8 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 16, 2012; 354 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TI0-540 SER (piston); 1,751 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Flebo Air LLC
The flight
- Departed from: AAF Apalachicola FL at 8:41 pm
- Destination: GMU Greenville SC
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 9:58 pm from WRB, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
25 documents, released by the NTSB on March 26, 2015. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.