Cessna C-210N accident near Lilburn, Georgia, December 29, 2001
On December 29, 2001 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna C-210N, registered N139JP, was destroyed in an accident near Lilburn, 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 pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 29, 2001 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lilburn, Georgia · Dekalb-Peachtree · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna C-210N
- Registration
- N139JP · no longer on the register · serial 210-63810
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Shortly after takeoff, the pilot radioed to air traffic controllers that he was experiencing "trim problems." According to the controllers, he was not specific as to the nature of the problem. The airplane collided with trees and subsequently the ground in a residential area, and was consumed by a post-crash fire. The cabin, flight controls and instruments were all fire damaged. Flight control cable continuity was established from the cockpit to both the elevator and rudder systems. The elevator trim tab control cables were observed separated in a tension type separation near the pulleys at aft fuselage. The cables changed from a forward/aft orientation to an inboard/outboard orientation at these pulleys. The aileron cables were cut during the recovery and continuity could not be established. Examination of the wreckage found no pre-existing structural or mechanical problems.
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: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,500 hours in all; 3,855 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 6,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,839 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 19, 2001
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-L7 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: PDK Peachtree GA at 5:23 pm
- Destination: TPF Tampa FL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 16, 3,966 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,000 ft; scat at 3,100 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 4:01 pm from PDK, 8 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.