<P> According to George Weiblen's annotated calendar for Monday, May 7, 1928: "Mail plane crashed on mountain at 8: 00 P.M." The pilot, Johnny S. Kytle (1905--1931), not only survived the crash, but managed to grab the mail and walk down the mountain . </P> <P> Around dusk on September 16, 2003, in clear weather, a small airplane circled the mountain five times, then crashed headlong into the south side, burst into flames and killed the pilot . A witness testifying at the NTSB investigation stated that the pilot, a 69 - year - old accountant, had threatened on multiple occasions to commit suicide by flying into the mountain . The official NTSB accident report lists the probable cause as "The pilot's intentional flight into the ground for the purpose of suicide while impaired by alcohol ." </P> <P> Stone Mountain Park, which surrounds the Confederate Memorial, is owned by the state of Georgia and managed by the Stone Mountain Memorial Association, a Georgia state authority . The Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation currently has a long - term contract to operate park attractions while the Stone Mountain Memorial Association retains ownership and the right to reject any project deemed unfit . </P> <P> Confederate Hall, operated directly by the Stone Mountain Memorial Association (SMMA), is a museum that educates students and park guests on the geology and ecology of Stone Mountain as well as historical aspects of the area . A small theater shows a historical documentary about the Civil War in Georgia called The Battle for Georgia . </P>

Is stone mountain owned by the state of georgia