Cessna 177RG accident near Atlanta, Georgia, December 22, 1985
On December 22, 1985 at about 8:15 pm local time, a Cessna 177RG, registered N1603H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Atlanta, Georgia (Peachtree-Dekalb 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
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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 22, 1985 · about 8:15 pm local time · cases in 1985
- Place
- Atlanta, Georgia · Peachtree-Dekalb · cases near this airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177RG · all 177RGs on the register
- Registration
- N1603H · registry record · serial 177RG-0776
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT LANDED HARD RESULTING IN SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT. THIS WAS FOLLOWING A FINAL APPROACH WHICH WAS FLOWN HIGH AND FAST. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED TO STALL APPROXIMATEL 10 FT ABOVE THE RUNWAY AND LAND ON THE NOSE GEAR.
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: 272 hours in all; 50 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,105 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 18, 1985; 42 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,630 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PDK Atlanta GA at 7:30 pm
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 20, 5,001 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 11 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:13 pm from PDK
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N1603H on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 177 Cardinal 2,159 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,676 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D 259 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Dekalb-Peachtree Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Georgia 2,138 since 1982 · 361 in the last ten years
- Georgia 8,804 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL86LA047.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.