Skip to content

ERA21FA165

2021-03-29 · Cave Spring, Georgia, United States · Fatal · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's inadequate visual lookout and failure to maintain clearance from a power line.

Factual narrative

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On March 29, 2021, about 1800 eastern daylight time, a Aviat Husky A-1, N800MH, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Cave Springs, Georgia. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was owned by the pilot, who was operating it as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to a witness in the area, the pilot was circling low over his house and waving at him. He said that after circling for about 5 minutes, the airplane departed the area. As he watched the airplane head north, it collided with a power line. The airplane pitched down abruptly and descended into a ravine, where it collided with the ground. He said the broken power line “knocked out” the power, and a brush fire started because of the power line contacting the dry brush. The witness said he rushed down the ravine to assist the pilot and contacted the local authorities.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

Assessment of the wreckage site revealed that a power line was struck above the ravine where the airplane came to rest. The power line was broken and was about 500 ft aft of the airplane wreckage. All flight control components were located at the wreckage site. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the airframe, and both wing assemblies. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

The Office of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Georgia, performed an autopsy on the pilot. His cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries. Toxicology testing performed at the Federal Aviation Administration Forensic Sciences Laboratory was negative for carbon monoxide and drugs. A witness reported the pilot was circling low over his house and waving at him. The pilot circled for about 5 minutes then departed the area. As he watched the airplane head north, it collided with a power line, resulting in a loss of electrical power to nearby residences and a brush fire. The airplane pitched down abruptly and descended into a ravine where it collided with the ground about 500 ft from the location of the power line. Postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Wire-Contributed to outcome

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2021_ERA21FA165.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type. All research papers