Tuesday, September 29, 2026

Rockwell Commander 112, N1102J, fatal accident occurred on September 26, 2026, near Dalton Municipal Airport (DNN/KDNN), Dalton, Georgia

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this writing will be corrected when/if the NTSB preliminary report is released.

https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N1102J

- History of Flight:
On September 26, 2026, at about 1110 local time, a privately-registered Rockwell Commander 112, N1102J, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Dalton, Georgia. The private pilot was fatally injured. The personal flight originated from Martin Campbell Field Airport (1A3), Copperhill, Tennessee, at 1056, and was destined to Dalton Municipal Airport (DNN/KDNN), Dalton, Georgia.

The pilot rented a hangar at Dalton, which was the intended destination.

Flight-tracking history shows that the airplane conducted two cross-country flights on September 16th. On September 20th, the airplane arrived at Copperhill following a flight from Missouri.

The airplane departed 1A3 and flew south to an inflight cruising altitude of 4,500 ft. The flight appears uneventful. Towards the end of the track, the airplane headed west and maintained cruise altitude and a groundspeed of 115 knots.

The accident site was located 1.5 miles from KDNN. There were no known witnesses to the accident. The local police were informed about the accident at 1144, when a person on the property found the wreckage.

The airplane came to rest upright and all four corners were present at the accident site. There was no post crash fire. Both wings remained attached to the airframe and sustained various degrees of impact damage. The tail remained attached to the airframe and sustained impact damage. The engine remained partially attached to the airframe and sustained impact damage. There was little to no debris field leading to the main wreckage.

The pilot, aged 68, held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single engine land rating. His FAA BasicMed Course was dated 12/9/2024.

The accident airplane, serial number 102, was manufactured in 1973. It was a low-wing, four-seat, retractable tricycle landing gear airplane and was powered by a 180 horsepower Lycoming IO-360 SER engine and equipped with a Hartzell constant speed propeller.

Dalton Municipal Airport is a public airport located 6 miles southeast of Dalton, Georgia. The airport field elevation is 709 ft. The airport features a single asphalt runway 14/32 which is 5496 x 100 ft.

- Weather:

METAR KDNN 261455Z AUTO 33004KT 10SM CLR 19/14 A3010 RMK AO2 T01870142

METAR KDNN 261515Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 20/14 A3010 RMK AO2 T01960140

METAR 49A 261455Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 21/12 A3010 RMK AO2

METAR 49A 261515Z AUTO VRB04KT 10SM CLR 21/11 A3009 RMK AO2


Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Peachtree City GA
650 AM EDT Sat Sep 26 2026

...New 12Z Aviation Discussion...

.KEY MESSAGES...

  - A cooler airmass will remain in place through the weekend
    with highs in the 70s to low 80s.

  - Mostly dry conditions expected through the middle of next
    week.

  - Warming trend back to above normal temperatures from early to
    mid next week.

&&

.SHORT TERM...
(Today through Sunday)
Issued at 216 AM EDT Sat Sep 26 2026

A weekend of pleasant `fall-like` weather is on tap across North
and Central GA as a dry and mild airmass spreads over the area.
The drivers of this setup are a mid-level ridge over the South-
Central US and a powerful stacked low off coast of the Mid-
Atlantic. The northerly flow between these systems will bring in a
dry airmass featuring well below normal PWAT values (~0.5") and
dewpoints (mid to upper 40s by Sunday). As a result, skies will be
mostly clear outside of any patchy fog this morning. Temperatures
will feel a bit crisp in the mornings, falling to the low to mid
50s for most areas. It`s also worth mentioning that anyone getting
their fall festivities on in the North GA mountains may want to
pack an extra layer, as these areas could see morning lows in the
mid 40s! Afternoon high temps will rise to the upper 70s to low
80s each day across most of the area.

&&

.LONG TERM...
(Sunday night through Friday)
Issued at 216 AM EDT Sat Sep 26 2026

By Monday, the mid-level ridge that supported a multi-day period
of potent northwesterly flow retrogrades westward, with shortwave
troughing beginning to sweep across the Southeast. Despite a turn
toward the slightly-less-benign aloft, high pressure remains in
place at the surface -- the resultant subsidence sufficient to
support continued near-negligible rain chances through midweek.
With a supremely dry airmass in place, portions of central Georgia
may approach critical relative humidity thresholds on Monday and
Tuesday.

Moisture will be on the upswing by Thursday, flow turning
southeasterly at the surface as a subtropical high nudges onshore.
After multiple days with PWATs lingering near climatological
minimums (between 0.4-0.7" -- at times well below the 10th
percentile), expect them to be dragged back above an inch. Chances
for isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms will return
as the airmass moderates back toward summerlike, bringing an end
to our brief dry period for some.

While comparatively much drier air will linger (dewpoints in the
40s to 50s),temperatures will warm back into the upper 80s to
lower 90s next week -- some 5 to 12 degrees above average. Morning
lows will remain crisp through Wednesday, in the 40s for portions
of northeast Georgia at elevation, and in the 50s elsewhere. As
moisture rebounds midweek, lows will return to the 60s to near 70,

&&

.AVIATION...
(12Z TAFS)
Issued at 608 AM EDT Sat Sep 26 2026

VFR conditions expected through the period, though patchy BR is
possible through around 14-15Z this morning near the terminals.
Otherwise, mostly SKC with some afternoon fair wx CU. Winds light
and variable this morning, before turning primarily out of the NW
at 4-7kts during the afternoon.

//ATL Confidence...12Z Update...

High for all elements.

Culver

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Athens          83  53  84  53 /   0   0   0   0
Atlanta         81  57  81  55 /   0   0   0   0
Blairsville     77  47  76  46 /   0   0   0   0
Cartersville    81  52  79  50 /   0   0   0   0
Columbus        84  58  84  55 /   0   0   0   0
Gainesville     82  54  83  53 /   0   0   0   0
Macon           84  56  85  53 /   0   0   0   0
Rome            81  54  80  51 /   0   0   0   0
Peachtree City  83  54  82  52 /   0   0   0   0
Vidalia         82  57  87  55 /   0   0   0   0

&&

.FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
None.
&&

$$

SHORT TERM...Culver
LONG TERM....96
AVIATION...Culver

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