Cessna 170B accident near Griffin, Georgia, July 24, 2006
On July 24, 2006 at about 6:59 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N4556C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Griffin, Georgia (Griffin-Spalding County Airpor airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An in-flight encounter with weather on initial take off climb resulting in a loss of directional control and collision 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 24, 2006 · about 6:59 pm local time
- Place
- Griffin, Georgia · Griffin-Spalding County Airpor · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N4556C · no longer on the register · serial 25500
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot applied aft pressure on the control yoke upon reaching 55 mph on the takeoff roll and the airplane became airborne. The airplane immediately veered to the left and the pilot applied right rudder and aileron. The pilot stated that he encountered a strong wind gust from the right. Another wind gust hit the airplane, and the pilot lost directional control of the airplane. The airplane cart wheeled to the left and came to rest inverted. A weather study completed by the NTSB revealed a low pressure system approaching the Alabama-Georgia border with a stationary front extending eastward across Georgia, in the vicinity of the accident site. Scattered thunderstorms and rain showers were developing along the front. The satellite image indicated a developing cumulonimbus clouds over the accident site, indicating thunderstorms were in the immediate vicinity of the airport at the time of the accident. The weather radar radial velocity image supports a wind shift in the immediate vicinity of the accident site with wind values less than 20 knots between the boundary. No defined microburst signature were noted in the vicinity of the accident site, but a wind analysis supported a gust front or outflow boundary.
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: 1,380 hours in all; 814 in this make and model
- Last flight review: June 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,597 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2006; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,152 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 6A2 Griffin GA at 6:59 pm
- Destination: 62GA Jackson GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 3,701 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 9 knots, gusting 24
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,600 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 7:11 pm from KFFC, 16 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.