Probable cause
The pilot’s misidentification of a taxiway as the intended runway, which resulted in a collision with a utility pole and trees.
NTSB analysis
The pilot reported that his intended destination airport was Cedar Ridge Airport (GA62), Griffin, GA, but due to misidentification of the airport while airborne, he landed at Brook Bridge Aerodrome (8GA9), Vaughn, GA. He reported that he did not realize he was approaching the wrong airport until he was “too low and too slow.” The airplane touched down on a shared taxiway/driveway before impacting a utility pole with the left wing. Subsequently, the airplane spun and impacted trees resulting in substantial damage to the left wing, nose structure, and right wing. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA24LA085 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Dec 15, 2023
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Griffin, Georgia
- Nearest airport
- Brook Bridge Aerodrome (8GA9)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Beech 58
- N-number
- N303RA
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1974
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.