Piper PA-28-161 accident near Covington, Georgia, September 23, 1999
On September 23, 1999 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N4300S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Covington, Georgia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's decision to take off from unsuitable terrain, which resulted in a collision with trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 23, 1999 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Covington, Georgia
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N4300S · registry record · serial 28-8316064
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot ran out of fuel and performed a forced landing in a cow pasture. The pilot obtained 9 gallons of 100LL fuel, refueled the airplane, and then taxied from the cow pasture to a 1,500-ft dirt road. The pilot attempted to take off on the dirt road, but aborted the takeoff when it looked like he was not going to make it. During the aborted takeoff the airplane's right wing collided with a tree.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 242 hours in all; 76 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 197 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,454 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 28, 1998; 75 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming 0320D3G (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Orlando INC.
The flight
- Departed from: ORL Orlando FL at 1:55 pm
- Destination: PDK Dekalb GA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from ATL, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N4300S the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.