Cessna 172RG accident near Atlanta, Georgia, August 14, 1994
On August 14, 1994 at about 3:32 pm local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N9340D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Atlanta, Georgia (Charlie Brown Fulton CO. airport). It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning in that he operated the aircraft at a weight which exceeded the maximum takeoff weight and his improper use of flaps during takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 14, 1994 · about 3:32 pm local time
- Place
- Atlanta, Georgia · Charlie Brown Fulton CO. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N9340D · no longer on the register · serial 172RG1127
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT SEEM TO CLIMB AT A NORMAL RATE OF CLIMB AFTER DEPARTURE. TOWER PERSONNEL STATED THAT THE PILOT ASKED FOR AN EMERGENCY LANDING IMMEDIATELY AFTER TAKEOFF. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED TO ENTER A LEFT TURN ABOUT 200 FEET AGL. THE NOSE DROPPED, AND THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED INTO THE TERRAIN JUST OFF THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY. THE DENSITY ALTITUDE OF THE AIRPORT AT THE TIME WAS APPROXIMATELY 2,377 FEET. AIRCRAFT WEIGHT AND BALANCE COMPUTATIONS SHOW THAT THE AIRCRAFT WEIGHT EXCEEDED THE MAXIMUM TAKEOFF WEIGHT BY ABOUT 73 POUNDS. THE AIRCRAFT INFORMATION MANUAL STATES THAT TAKEOFF SHOULD BE MADE WITH FLAPS RETRACTED. THE FLAPS WERE FOUND EXTENDED 12 DEGREES.
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 355 hours in all; 36 in this make and model; 34 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 287 as pilot in command; 66 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,165 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 27, 1994; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FTY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 8L, 5,796 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:36 pm from FTY, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.