Cessna 172M accident near Dahlonega, Georgia, August 5, 2002
On August 5, 2002 at about 6:55 am local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N8954V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dahlonega, Georgia (Lumpkin County-Wimpys airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing and failure to maintain directional control resulting in the airplane going off the left side of the runway and colliding with a ditch.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 5, 2002 · about 6:55 am local time
- Place
- Dahlonega, Georgia · Lumpkin County-Wimpys · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N8954V · no longer on the register · serial 17264310
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated he touched down on the left side of the runway and the airplane bounced. He lost directional control of the airplane and it went off the left side of the runway and collided with a ditch sustaining damage to both wings and the fuselage. The pilot stated he did not experience any deficiencies with the airplane before the accident.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 76 hours in all; 76 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 18 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,077 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 20, 2002; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-329-E-2-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AJR Cornelia GA at 6:45 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 3,035 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 100° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 am from GVL, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N8954V the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.