N84GRCessna 340 · 1973

On April 21, 2022, at 1844 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 340, N84GR, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident in Covington, Georgia. The private pilot and student pilot were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

According to the student pilot's partner, both the student pilot, who was the new owner of the multi-engine airplane, and a private pilot flew to Lubbock, Texas, on a commercial airline on April 20, 2022, the day before the accident. Then they took an Uber to Portales, New Mexico, to meet with the former owner of the airplane to finalize the purchase of the airplane so that they could fly it back to Georgia the same day. They departed Portales Municipal Airport (RPZ) and arrived at the Covington Municipal Airport (CVC) in Atlanta, Georgia, about 11 pm. She stated that on the next day, the student pilot began his flight training with the private pilot, whom she believed to be his flight instructor. She added that the student pilot had recently met the private pilot who offered to teach him how to fly the multi-engine airplane.

According to radar data provided by the FAA, the accident airplane departed Dekalb-Peachtree Airport (PDK) in Atlanta, Georgia, about 1640 and flew to Gwinnett County Airport-Briscoe Field (LZU) in Lawrenceville, Georgia, arriving about 1650. The airplane departed LZU about 1712 and arrived at Lumpkin County-Wimpey’s Airport (9A0) in Dahlonega, Georgia, about 1731. On the third leg of the flight, it departed 9A0 about 1813, enroute to CVC, where it crashed during approach in the vicinity of the airport about 1844. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and the postimpact fire.

Multiple witnesses in the accident vicinity reported seeing the airplane execute a hard right banking turn, followed by a spiral descent and impact with a row of unoccupied semi-trailers. Surveillance footage from a parking lot security camera captured the airplane in a right spiral turn just before the accident, which corroborated witness accounts.

The private pilot who offered to instruct the student on flying the multi-engine airplane held a single-engine land rating, but he did not have a multi-engine land airplane rating or a flight instructor’s rating. The private pilot's logbook was not available for review to verify the currency of his flight experience. However, he reported flight experience of 3,148 total hours, with 31 hours in the last six months as of December 12, 2016. The pilot was issued a second-class medical certificate without limitations.

The student pilot reported zero total flight hours and zero hours in the last six months as of his medical exam dated January 26, 2022. The student pilot was issued a second-class medical certificate without limitation. The student pilot’s logbook was not available for review to verify the currency of his flight experience.

A review of the maintenance logbooks indicated that the aircraft had surpassed its annual inspection deadline by over a month, which was March 4, 2021. Since the airplane was “out-of-annual,” a special flight permit, commonly referred to as a "ferry permit,” was required for it to be flown. No FAA Form 8130-6, "Application for U.S. Airworthiness Certificate" for special flight permits, was issued for the airplane for it to fly to Georgia from New Mexico.

The aircraft wreckage was located 1 nautical mile southeast of runway 10/28. It impacted an unoccupied semi-truck trailer and commercial business parking lot. A postimpact fire consumed most of the airframe. Remnants of the right horizontal stabilizer and elevator were found within the debris area. Remnants of the vertical stabilizer and rudder were also located within the debris area. Flight control cables were found within the debris area and were traced from the remnants of the control surfaces to their respective bellcranks. Flight control cables were also traced to the flight controls within the cockpit. The cockpit and instrument panel were destroyed by the postcrash fire. Engine control positions were unreliable due to fire and impact damage.

Examination of both engines revealed fire and impact damage. All fuel lines and ignition wiring on both engines were destroyed by the postcrash fire. Both engines separated from the airframe and sustained thermal damage. Each cylinder was examined with a lighted borescope. No obvious preimpact abnormalities were noted in either engine. Both vacuum pump drive shafts were melted. Charred debris was observed in the left engine fuel injector Nos. 1, 4, and 5; similar debris was observed in the right engine fuel injector Nos. 2 and 4. The left engine fuel distribution valve burned away, exposing the screen. The right engine fuel distribution valve gasket burned and deposited burned debris on the screen.

Examination of the propellers revealed both had similar impact damage. All three blades on both propellers were partially consumed in the postcrash fire. Blade damage included visible chordwise/rotational scoring on several blades in each propeller, bending in the aft/drag direction. The blades were twisted towards low pitch with leading-edge gouging consistent with impact while rotating with power. There was no damage to indicate either propeller was feathered at the time of impact. Internal damage on the preload plates and fork slots indicated the blade angle on both propellers was in the low pitch range at impact. There were no anomalies noted in the components examined that would prevent or degrade normal operation before impact with terrain. All damage was consistent with high impact forces.

Private Pilot

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation Division of Forensic Sciences performed the pilot’s autopsy at the request of the Newton County Coroner. According to the autopsy report, the cause of death was multiple blunt impact injuries and the manner of death was accident.

Toxicology testing performed at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory was negative for carbon monoxide and drugs.

Student Pilot

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation Division of Forensic Sciences performed the student pilot’s autopsy at the request of the Newton County Coroner. According to the autopsy report, the cause of death was inhalation of products of combustion and thermal injuries, and the manner of death was accident.

Toxicology testing performed at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory was negative for carbon monoxide. Amphetamine, a prescription Schedule II controlled substance was detected in heart blood at 60 ng/mL and urine at 1531 ng/mL. Cetirizine, an over-the-counter antihistamine was detected at a low level in heart blood, and in urine at 121 ng/mL. (See Medical Factual Memorandum of Record).