Van's RV-12 N525AT

Summary

On 26 October 2021 at about 23:23 local time, a Van's RV-12 registered N525AT was involved in an accident near Folkston, Georgia, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

26 October 2021 at 23:23

Classification

Accident

Location

Folkston, Georgia, United States

Coordinates

30.8400, -82.0133

Aircraft

Van's RV-12

Registration

N525AT

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Winter haven → Reidsville

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

ERA22LA031

1 person died.

The pilot’s low altitude maneuvering, which resulted in a collision with a utility pole.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

Flight track information indicated that, about 1 hour and 35 minutes after departure, in night conditions, the airplane was maneuvering in the vicinity of an airport. The pilot crossed over the runway twice while descending, maneuvered near a roadway, and the groundspeed decreased before the airplane contacted a utility pole beside the road and then impacted terrain. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. A family member reported that the pilot had difficulty with his vision during the day, and especially at night. Additionally, a witness stated, and a published NOTAM confirmed, that the runway edge lights at the airport were inoperative. Given the airplane’s maneuvering in the vicinity of the airport and its decreasing speed similar to an approach to landing phase of flight, it is possible that the pilot was maneuvering in an attempt to locate the runway and land when the airplane struck the utility pole.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.