Amateur-built DAKOTA HAWK accident near Nicklesville, Georgia, October 11, 2024
On October 11, 2024 at about 10:15 pm local time, a 2019 amateur-built DAKOTA HAWK, registered N357PC, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Nicklesville, Georgia. 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 inadequate preflight inspection, fuel planning, and improper fuel management during flight, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and a subsequent off-airport hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 11, 2024 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Nicklesville, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DAKOTA HAWK, built 2019
- Registration
- N357PC · registry record · serial DH106
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a cross-country flight, about 12 miles from of his destination the pilot stated that the engine lost all power “due to fuel exhaustion.” The pilot conducted a forced landing to a field, during which the landing gear collapsed due to the airplane’s “excessive vertical speed.” The airplane’s wings and fuselage were substantially damaged. The pilot further stated that he failed to check the airplane’s fuel levels prior to or during the flight. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact 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
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 517 hours in all; 16 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 458 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 23, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 154 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, May 4, 2024; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,250 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912S (piston); 346 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 9A0 Dahlonega GA at 9:30 pm
- Destination: CZL Calhoun GA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.16 inHg
- Observation at 6:15 pm from DNN, 16 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KDNN 112215Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 23/07 A3016 RMK AO2 T02290066
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Postaccident airplane wreckage
Photograph 2 – Postaccident airplane wreckage
Photograph 3 – Postaccident airplane wreckageThe 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 January 21, 2025. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for Record A�� Email, Pilot | PDF, 1 page | 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.