Milan ,GA : Pilot reported steering, autopilot issues before crash in Marietta on October, Sunday 15th 2017

The pilot of the small plane that crashed in Marietta last month reported problems with his autopilot and steering during the flight, according to a preliminary accident report.

The pilot, Robert Westlake of Atlanta, was talking to the Atlanta Air Route Traffic Control Center the night of March 24 before he crashed a few miles east of the Cobb County International Airport.

The connection between Westlake’s Cessna Citation I and the traffic control center was lost when Westlake was about 15 miles north of Fulton County’s Charlie Brown Airport, according to the accident report from the National Transportation Safety Board.


The NSTB released the preliminary report last week. Investigators will continue to gather and analyze the facts surrounding the wreck to determine a probable cause, according to Christopher O’Neil, spokesperson for the NTSB.

The final report can take anywhere from 12 to 18 months to complete, he said.

Westlake’s medical application in 2013 reported a total of 6,000 flight hours, according to the report.

“That’s (a) respectable (number of flight hours),” O’Neil said.

His most recent medical certificate was issued in September but did not include an updated total number of flight hours.


Source :
Pilot reported steering, autopilot issues before crash in Marietta