Cessna 172F accident near Rome, Georgia, July 21, 2006
On July 21, 2006 at about 11:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172F, registered N5324R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rome, Georgia (Richard B. Russell airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall, and subsequent impact with the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 2006 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- Rome, Georgia · Richard B. Russell · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172F · all 172Fs on the register
- Registration
- N5324R · no longer on the register · serial 17252849
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot he was to fly over the local area and then return to the airport. The pilot stated that he was to fly three circles over a banner that the family had placed on the tarmac. The pilot said that the airplane was functioning normally at the time of the accident but believed he was too slow and low with an aft center of gravity. A witness confirmed that the airplane was very low, and very slow, at about 100 feet away and 75 feet above ground level as he crossed the tarmac. As the pilot transmitted information about his turns the stall warning horn could be heard in the background. The witness stated that the airplane started to "wobble," and just before it reached the "Big Hangar the nose went up and the entire airplane turned left about 160-degrees, first landing on its left wing and then smashing down on its front."
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1 hours in all; 1 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: RMG Rome GA
- Destination: RMG Rome GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 6,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 360° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 am from RMG
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.