Cessna 172F accident near Carrollton, Georgia, December 18, 1994
On December 18, 1994 at about 11:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172F, registered N5440R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Carrollton, Georgia (West Georgia Regional airport). It was an instructional 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 PILOT'S INADVERTENT COLLISION WITH TREES, ADJACENT TO THE TAXIWAY, WHILE ATTEMPTING TO AVOID A DEER THAT CROSSED THE TAXIWAY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 18, 1994 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- Carrollton, Georgia · West Georgia Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172F · all 172Fs on the register
- Registration
- N5440R · no longer on the register · serial 17252990
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE STUDENT PILOT, WHILE TAXIING FOR TAKEOFF, A DEER CROSSED IN FRONT OF THE AIRPLANE. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO AVOID A COLLISION WITH THE DEER, AND THE AIRPLANE VEERED OFF THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE TAXIWAY INTO A STAND OF TREES.
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: student
- Flight time: 59 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,740 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 28, 1994; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 20GA Villa Rica GA at 8:30 pm
- Destination: CTJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.