Cirrus SR20 accident near Jasper, Georgia, November 28, 2018
On November 28, 2018 at about 4:30 pm local time, a 2017 Cirrus SR20, registered N343BZ, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR go-around) near Jasper, Georgia (Pickens County airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during a go-around, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall, and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 28, 2018 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Jasper, Georgia · Pickens County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cirrus SR20 No Series, built 2017 · all SR20s on the register
- Registration
- N343BZ · no longer on the register · serial 2349
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that, during the touch-and-go landings, she observed that the student was struggling to maintain traffic pattern altitude and that the airplane was excessively left of the runway centerline. She told him that he would not be allowed to land until the airplane was on the centerline. During the accident landing, the airplane was left of the runway centerline, and she asked him to correct. He corrected, and she anticipated a full landing. During the landing flare, the airplane drifted left, and she instructed the student to perform a go-around. The student aggressively pitched up the airplane, and she heard the stall warning horn and the stall audio annunciation. She took the flight controls and lowered the nose, but the airplane continued to drift left. The student's statement corroborated the instructor's statement. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and left wing. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The automated weather observation station located about 9 miles south of the accident airport reported that, about 5 minutes after the accident, the wind was from 290° at 9 knots, gusting to 15 knots. The student landed the airplane on runway 34.
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
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during approach (VFR go-around) defining event
- Loss of control in flight during approach (VFR go-around)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach (VFR go-around)
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 Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Airport structure › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Ground vehicle › Contributed to outcome
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,285 hours in all; 428 in this make and model; 77 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 2,150 as pilot in command; 653 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 12, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 50 hours in all; 50 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 749 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 18, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 3,150 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-390 SER (piston); 749 hours total
- Operator: Aero Atlanta Flight Center
The flight
- Departed from: PDK Atlanta GA at 8:31 pm
- Destination: JZP Jasper GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 9 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 4:35 pm from K47A, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on March 12, 2019. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Flight Instructor's Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Student Pilot's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Accident Photo | 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.