Piper PA-18 accident near Bainbridge, Georgia, November 18, 1994
On November 18, 1994 at about 3:56 pm local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N5418H, was destroyed in an accident near Bainbridge, Georgia (Decatur County Industrial airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INADVERTENT STALL/SPIN AND ALTITUDE INADEQUATE FOR RECOVERY BY THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND (CFI).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 18, 1994 · about 3:56 pm local time
- Place
- Bainbridge, Georgia · Decatur County Industrial
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18 · all PA-18s on the register
- Registration
- N5418H · no longer on the register · serial 18-9
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED IN A CLIMBING RIGHT TURN THEN WAS OBSERVED TO SPIN TO THE RIGHT. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE GROUND NOSE AND RIGHT WING LOW. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRFRAME AND FLIGHT CONTROLS REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF PREIMPACT FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE ASSEMBLY REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. DAMAGE TO THE MAGNETOS PRECLUDED TESTING.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,507 hours in all; 356 in the last 90 days; 120 in the last 30 days; 1,280 as pilot in command; 648 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,199 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 4, 1994; 185 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: BGE GA at 3:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from TLH, 34 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.