Cessna 210N accident near Chamblee, Georgia, November 7, 1999
On November 7, 1999 at about 3:54 pm local time, a Cessna 210N, registered N7317A, was destroyed in an accident near Chamblee, Georgia (Dekalb-Peachtree Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the flex hydraulic line and the chaffing of an electrical line under the pilot seat that resulted in an inflight fire. The pilot's inflight decision to continue flight with a known airplane deficiencies.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 7, 1999 · about 3:54 pm local time
- Place
- Chamblee, Georgia · Dekalb-Peachtree Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210N · all 210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N7317A · no longer on the register · serial 21063560
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight departed Dekalb-Peachtree Airport, moments later the pilot radioed that the airplane had a landing gear problem, and there was smoke in the cockpit. The pilot was instructed to enter visual traffic for runway 2R. Once the airplane was in the traffic pattern, the controller told the pilot that it appeared that the landing gear was extended, and cleared the flight to land. As the airplane neared touchdown the controller told the pilot that the landing gear was not locked and instructed the pilot to go-around. As the airplane flew by the control tower, smoke was seen coming from the airplane. As the pilot maneuvered the airplane for a landing on runway 27, the pilot was again instructed to go-around. Seconds later, the airplane touched down in a grassy area between the approach ends of runways 2L and 2R. Examination of the airplane disclosed that the airplane had sustained extensive fire damage to the floor area beneath the pilot's seat. The examination revealed that a flex hydraulic fluid supply line was missing, and there had been electrical arcing in the immediate vicinity of the hot spot.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 785 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,205 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 10, 1999; 86 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PDK at 3:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 2R, 8,000 ft by 158 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 pm from PDK, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.