Beech 58 accident near Griffin, Georgia, December 15, 2023
On December 15, 2023 at about 8:33 pm local time, a 1974 Beech 58, registered N303RA, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Griffin, Georgia (Brook Bridge Aerodrome airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s misidentification of a taxiway as the intended runway, which resulted in a collision with a utility pole and trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 15, 2023 · about 8:33 pm local time
- Place
- Griffin, Georgia · Brook Bridge Aerodrome · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 58, built 1974 · all 58s on the register
- Registration
- N303RA · no longer on the register · serial TH-506
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that his intended destination airport was Cedar Ridge Airport (GA62), Griffin, GA, but due to misidentification of the airport while airborne, he landed at Brook Bridge Aerodrome (8GA9), Vaughn, GA. He reported that he did not realize he was approaching the wrong airport until he was “too low and too slow.” The airplane touched down on a shared taxiway/driveway before impacting a utility pole with the left wing. Subsequently, the airplane spun and impacted trees resulting in substantial damage to the left wing, nose structure, and right wing. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident 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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Wrong surface or wrong airport during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,745 hours in all; 33,225 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: February 6, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,089 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 11, 2023; 38.1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 3: Continental Aerospace Technolo IO 520 (piston); 2,217 hours total
- Engine 4: Continental Aerospace Technolo IO 520 (piston); 455 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MCN Macon GA at 8:06 pm
- Destination: GA62 Griffin GA
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.40 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from FFC, 9 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KFFC 152053Z AUTO 05006KT 10SM CLR 15/M07 A3040 RMK AO2 SLP299 T01501067 56022=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 4 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Airplane Damage Overview Left Side
Photograph 2 – Airplane Damage Overview Right Side
Photograph 3 – Airplane and Utility Pole
Photograph 4 – Taxiway OverviewThe 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
3 documents, released by the NTSB on February 29, 2024. 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 | PDF, 12 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 5 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.
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.