The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.
Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Atlanta, Georgia
Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety; Le Bourget, France
Daher; Tarbes, France
Accident Number: ERA21LA155
Date & Time: March 15, 2021, 15:14 Local
Registration: N42BF
Aircraft: Socata MS894A
Injuries: 1 Minor
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal
On March 15, 2021, about 1514 eastern daylight time, a Socata MS894A airplane, N42BF, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident in Monroe, Georgia. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
According to the pilot, he departed Gwinnett County Airport-Briscoe Field (LZU), Lawrenceville, Georgia about 1450 and flew to Cy Nunnelly Memorial Airport (D73), Monroe, Georgia to perform practice landings.
The pilot performed a normal crosswind touch-and-go landing at D73 but felt that the winds were picking up and decided to return to LZU. He climbed straight-out to traffic pattern altitude, turned westbound toward LZU and leveled at 2,500 ft msl. The airplane was about 16 miles from LZU when the cowling suddenly separated and struck the right side of the windscreen, which punctured a large hole from just left of the center post to around 10 inches from the right canopy bow. The pilot was blasted with wind, the airplane’s nose dropped sharply, and the airplane started to yaw sharply left and right. The pilot struggled to regain control and was not certain if the airplane could be safely flown back to D73. He determined that a slower airspeed provided better control; however, the airplane was not able maintain level flight, even with full engine power.
The pilot subsequently performed an off-airport landing to a field, where the airplane struck trees during the landing roll. A member of the sheriff’s department later reported that they had located the cowling near where the airplane touched down. The pilot believed that the cowling had been lodged on the empennage and only dislodged when he landed.
The pilot further advised that, prior to the flight he had performed a normal pre-flight inspection, which included checking the cowling latches in accordance with Socata Rallye Service Bulletin 107. He also advised that Airworthiness Directive (AD) 76-11-02 for cowling locks, had also been previously complied with.
The left and right front cowling locks were retained for examination.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: Socata
Registration: N42BF
Model/Series: MS894A
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No
Operator:
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Operator Designator Code:
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: VMC
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KD73,867 ft msl
Observation Time: 15:15 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 7 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 19°C /4°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Scattered / 4600 ft AGL
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 8 knots / , 50°
Lowest Ceiling: Broken / 5500 ft AGL
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.15 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Lawrenceville, GA (LZU)
Destination: Monroe, GA (KD73)
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Minor
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Minor
Latitude, Longitude: 33.874356,-83.769353
The pilot sustained minor injuries and no one on the ground was hurt.
Walton County Fire Rescue and the Walton County Sheriff's Office responded to the 3500 block of Bold Springs Road.
The Socata MS894A Rallye Minerva 220 aircraft is registered to David S. English of Big Canoe, Georgia.
According to the FlightAware tracker, the plane left the Gwinnett County Airport at Briscoe Field in Lawrenceville at 2:50 p.m. and was in the air for 22 minutes before circling and landing in Walton County.
Homeowner Johnny McKissick was in the basement when he realized a plane had come down right in his front yard.
"My wife shouted down to the basement, 'Someone just hit my tree,'" McKissick said.
The plane sheared the top off a couple of small trees before rolling to a stop and colliding with a swing set, breaking the posts on the furniture before coming to a complete stop.
McKissick said the plane was forced down after the engine was exposed in a freak incident.
"The cowl blew off the engine and broke the windshield, then hit the tail before it fell and bounced down into the yard," he said.
Thankfully, however, the incident ended without any harm to anyone or anything but a tree or two.
"I was just glad he was all right," McKissick said of the pilot.
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