Piper PA-38-112 accident near Cumming, Georgia, October 28, 1984
On October 28, 1984 at about 10:39 pm local time, a Piper PA-38-112, registered N91365, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cumming, Georgia (Field). 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 28, 1984 · about 10:39 pm local time
- Place
- Cumming, Georgia · Field
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-38-112 · all PA-38-112s on the register
- Registration
- N91365 · registry record · serial 38-82A0017
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DESPITE A FSS FORECAST OF THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS THE PLT DEPARTED IN ORDER TO EVALUATE WX SITUATION FOR HIMSELF. CONDITIONS WERE AS FORECASTED AND THE PLT ELECTED TO RETURN TO THE ARPT FROM WHICH HE HAD DEPARTED. DUE TO THE MOVEMENT OF THE STORM SYSTEM BEHIND THE FLT A RETURN WAS NOT POSSIBLE. THE PLT THEN DECIDED TO PERFORM A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING IN AN UNIMPROVED FIELD WHICH APPEARED SMOOTH WHEN HE HAD OVERFLOWN IT. THE TERRAIN PROVED TO BE ROUGHER THAN ANTICIPATED CAUSING THE ACFT TO NOSE DOWN DURING THE ROLLOUT.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 206 hours in all; 104 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 125 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,129 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 12, 1984; 39 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GVL Gainsville GA at 10:30 pm
- Destination: DNN Dalton GA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 11 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:47 pm from PDK, 33 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ATL85LA021.