Symphony Aircraft Ind INC SA accident near Fitzgerald, Georgia, November 12, 2019
On November 12, 2019, a 2006 Symphony Aircraft Ind INC SA, registered N844SA, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (from runway) near Fitzgerald, Georgia (Fitzgerald Muni 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 airplane’s impact with a deer while landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 12, 2019
- Place
- Fitzgerald, Georgia · Fitzgerald Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Symphony Aircraft Ind INC SA 160, built 2006
- Registration
- N844SA · registry record · serial S-0015
- 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, during the landing roll, a deer ran across the runway and struck the airplane's right side. The pilot was able to taxi the airplane to the ramp without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage aft of the nosewheel. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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
- Wildlife encounter (non-bird) during taxi (from runway) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) › Ability to respond/compensate
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 178.5 hours in all; 115 in this make and model; 36.5 in the last 90 days; 12.1 in the last 30 days; 178.5 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 23, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 773.9 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 7, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2A (piston); 577 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DQH Douglas GA
- Destination: FZG Fitzgerald GA
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 02, 5,000 ft by 101 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 11:35 pm from KFZG
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on December 20, 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 | Damage 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.