Vans Aircraft INC RV-12 accident near Folkston, Georgia, October 26, 2021
On October 26, 2021 at about 11:23 pm local time, a Vans Aircraft INC RV-12, registered N525AT, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Folkston, Georgia. 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 low altitude maneuvering, which resulted in a collision with a utility pole.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 26, 2021 · about 11:23 pm local time · cases in 2021
- Place
- Folkston, Georgia · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Vans Aircraft INC RV-12
- Registration
- N525AT · registry record · serial 12065
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Flight track information indicated that, about 1 hour and 35 minutes after departure, in night conditions, the airplane was maneuvering in the vicinity of an airport. The pilot crossed over the runway twice while descending, maneuvered near a roadway, and the groundspeed decreased before the airplane contacted a utility pole beside the road and then impacted terrain. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. A family member reported that the pilot had difficulty with his vision during the day, and especially at night. Additionally, a witness stated, and a published NOTAM confirmed, that the runway edge lights at the airport were inoperative. Given the airplane’s maneuvering in the vicinity of the airport and its decreasing speed similar to an approach to landing phase of flight, it is possible that the pilot was maneuvering in an attempt to locate the runway and land when the airplane struck the utility pole.
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
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Pole › Awareness of condition
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Dark › Effect on personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 0 hours in all; 0 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: GIF Winter Haven FL at 9:25 pm
- Destination: RVJ Reidsville GA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 310° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.81 inHg
- Observation at 7:56 pm from KJAX, 26 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KJAX 262356Z 31004KT 10SM CLR 19/13 A2981 RMK AO2 SLP095 T01890133 10272 20189 53012
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 – main wreckage, front view (FAA)
Photo 2 – engine and instrument panel (FAA)
Photo 3 – main wreckage, left view (FAA)The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
7 documents, released by the NTSB on September 7, 2023. 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 | Memorandum for Record A�� Pilot's Son Interview | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 2 | Witness Statements | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Inspector's Statement | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 4 | Flight Track | picture · our copy | View Download |
| 5 | Final Track V1 | picture · our copy | View Download |
| 6 | Final Section of Flight Track | picture · our copy | View Download |
| 7 | Investigative Photographs | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N525AT on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Rotax 912 241 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Davis Field · nearest airport
- Winter Haven Regional · departed from
- Swinton Smith Field AT Reidsville Municipal · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Georgia 2,138 since 1982 · 361 in the last ten years
- Georgia 8,807 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA22LA031.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.