Piper PA-44 accident near Hawkinsville, Georgia, December 9, 2022
On December 9, 2022 at about 9:00 pm local time, a 1978 Piper PA-44, registered N160PT, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Hawkinsville, Georgia (Hawkinsville-Pulaski County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inadequate in-flight decision-making, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 9, 2022 · about 9:00 pm local time · cases in 2022
- Place
- Hawkinsville, Georgia · Hawkinsville-Pulaski County · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-44 180, built 1978 · all PA-44s on the register
- Registration
- N160PT · registry record · serial 44-7995161
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the twin engine-equipped airplane reported that while on an instrument flight rules cross-country flight at night, he became concerned about the amount of fuel aboard and considered stopping for fuel. About the time he became aware of the fuel state, the airplane encountered instrument meteorological conditions and his attention was diverted from finding an alternate airport to maintaining his flight path. When air traffic control cleared the pilot to go direct to the initial approach fix at his destination airport, the airplane experienced an uncommanded right yaw. The pilot recognized that the right engine experienced a total loss of power and he began to secure that engine. He declared an emergency and requested radar vectors to the nearest airport. Then, the left engine began to “sputter” and experienced a total loss of power. The pilot reported that he “was sure that it was fuel exhaustion.” Unable to glide to an airport, the pilot aimed for the darkest landscape, to avoid any ground injuries, and the airplane impacted terrain resulting in substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. Post-accident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector noted no smell of fuel or indications of fuel present at the accident site. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Based on this information, it is likely that the pilot exhausted the available fuel supply, with resulted in a total loss of engine power and subsequent forced landing.
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
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (descent)
- Off-field or emergency landing during enroute (descent)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level other cases naming the fuel system
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,650 hours in all; 320 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 1,500 as pilot in command; 1,170 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 9, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,003 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 22, 2022; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 6,810 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming VO-360 (piston); 11,656 hours total
- Operator: Pilot Training Center LLC
The flight
- Departed from: KTMB Miami FL at 4:52 pm
- Destination: KMCN Macon GA
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 050° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from EZM, 16 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KEZM 100155Z AUTO 05004KT 10SM SCT055 BKN070 OVC080 19/18 A3011 RMK AO2
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 6 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 – Accident site, airplane came to rest inverted (FAA Photo)
Photo 2 – Damage to the right wing (FAA Photo)
Photo 3 – Damage to right wing (FAA Photo)
Photo 4 – Impact separated wreckage of right wing (FAA Photo)
Photo 5 – Damage to left wing (FAA Photo)
Photo 6 – Impact separated tail section, found in a tree about 40 yards from main wreckage (FAA Photo)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
6 documents, released by the NTSB on February 13, 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 - PIC | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 - Operator | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for Record A�� Telephone Interview, Pilot | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Pilot's Statement to FAA | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Memorandum for Record A�� Fuel State | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Photographs | PDF, 6 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N160PT on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-44 Seminole 603 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,842 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 1,069 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Engine: Lycoming VO-360 · as the NTSB recorded it
- Hawkinsville-Pulaski County · nearest airport
- Miami Executive · departed from
- Middle Georgia Regional · 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/ERA23LA083.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.