Piper PA28 accident near Winder, Georgia, March 28, 2019
On March 28, 2019 at about 1:00 pm local time, a 1964 Piper PA28, registered N6412W, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR go-around) near Winder, Georgia (Barrow County airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s loss of airplane control, the flight instructor's delayed remedial action, and the student's delay in relinquishing the flight controls, which resulted in the airplane striking a runway sign during a go-around.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 28, 2019 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Winder, Georgia · Barrow County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28 140, built 1964 · all PA28s on the register
- Registration
- N6412W · registry record · serial 28-20481
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During an instructional flight, the student pilot and flight instructor planned to stay in the traffic pattern to practice touch-and-go landings. During the third approach and just before the landing flare, the airplane began to drift to the right side of the runway. The instructor noticed that the student was cross controlling with the airplane's nose pointed right. He took over the controls and initiated a go-around, but the student did not immediately remove his feet from the rudder pedals, which made the instructor's control inputs "less effective." While still airborne, the airplane struck a runway sign. The instructor continued the go-around and landed without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The instructor reported that the flight controls were "free and correct" and that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Loss of control in flight during approach
- Attempted remediation/recovery during approach
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach (VFR go-around)
- Collision during takeoff/land during approach (VFR go-around) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Sign/marker › Effect on operation
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 426 hours in all; 66 in this make and model; 64 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,999 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 13, 2019
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Flying Otter Aviation Llc
The flight
- Departed from: WDR Winder GA
- Destination: WDR Winder GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 5,202 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,500 ft; scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 2:35 pm from WDR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on May 29, 2020. 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.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flight Instructor and Student Statements - and Info | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record – FAA Inspector | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
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.