A loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined due to significant thermal damage from post-impact fire.”
That was the cause of a plane crash 14 months ago at Lake Lanier Islands that killed the 60-year-old pilot, Howard Lee Joe of Dunwoody, according to the just-released final report on the accident from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB ).
The plane exploded on impact and burst into flames when it plunged into a parking lot at the resort, witnesses told investigators. No one on the ground was injured.
The report says the plane was based at Peachtree-DeKalb Airport and flight data show it left there at 6:01 p.m. December 21, 2023, for what the pilot’s family said was just a routine “local flight.”
The data further show the single-engine plane “navigated north, cruising at 3,000 ft mean sea level (msl). About 5 minutes into the flight, the flight track turned northeast toward Lake Lanier, Georgia, and the airplane continued to maintain 3,000 ft msl and about 160-170 knots groundspeed.”
At 6:12:32, “the flight track turned east and the airplane continued to maintain 3,000 ft msl, but
groundspeed slowed to 98 knots. Subsequently, groundspeed and altitude began to decrease,
and the flight track continued east over Lake Lanier.”
At 6:14:19, “the final position recorded was (one-tenth) mile north of the accident site. The airplane was
about 100 ft above ground level, had turned to the right (south), and groundspeed was 70
knots.” It then plunged into the ground.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Accompanying graphic shows the approximate final path of the flight, according to witnesses.)