Cause of deadly plane crash that killed pilot, student remains under investigation
A small plane crashed near the Barwick–LaFayette Airport in Walker County on March 20, 2025. (Used with permission from FOX Chattanooga)
LAFAYETTE, Ga - A flight instructor and a student pilot were killed when a small aircraft crashed during a training flight near LaFayette on March 20, federal investigators said.
The National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary report on the crash on Wednesday.
SEE ALSO: Deadly plane crash near Georgia airport claims two lives: reports
What we know:
The single-engine Cirrus SR22 was destroyed when it went down around 2:30 p.m. near runway 20 at Barwick-LaFayette Airport, according to a preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
According to flight tracking data, the plane departed Richard B. Russell Regional Airport in Rome at approximately 1:36 p.m. and landed at Barwick-LaFayette Airport around 1:50 p.m. The pilot then picked up the instructor and took off again at 2:21 p.m. The two performed two circuits of the traffic pattern before attempting a third landing.
Multiple witnesses told investigators they saw the aircraft in a nose-high attitude on final approach and noted it appeared "noticeably lower" than typical landings. The plane impacted the displaced threshold area about 170 feet short of the runway and came to rest inverted approximately 175 feet from the point of impact, about 25 feet off the right side of the runway. A post-crash fire consumed much of the wreckage.
Debris, including parts of the right wing and multiple propeller strike marks, was found scattered along the debris path.
The Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) was still packed and had not deployed.
Fuel records indicated the aircraft had not taken on fuel at Barwick-LaFayette Airport that day, but had been fully fueled with 54.2 gallons of 100LL aviation fuel at the Rome airport earlier.
Weather at the time of the accident was visual flight conditions, with winds shifting from 260° at 7 knots to 330° at 10 knots between 2:15 and 2:35 p.m., according to local METAR reports.
What we don't know:
The wreckage has been retained for further examination.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
What's next:
The investigation continues and could take up to two years.
The Source: The National Transportation Safety Board provided the details for this article. A previous FOX 5 Atlanta report was also used.