Cessna 150L accident near Cummings, Georgia, March 4, 1996
On March 4, 1996 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150L, registered N7176G, was destroyed in an accident near Cummings, Georgia (Mathis airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's abrupt retraction of the flaps and his failure to coordinate airspeed with flap retraction which resulted in the lack of airplane performance.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 4, 1996 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Cummings, Georgia · Mathis
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- N7176G · no longer on the register · serial 15074620
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was making full-stop landings and takeoffs. On the second landing, as he flared for touchdown, the airplane ballooned. The pilot elected to go around. He stated that the airplane did not appear to be performing well, and that the rate of climb was insufficient to avoid rising terrain at the end of the runway. He therefore did not adjust the flaps. The owner of the airplane indicated that the pilot failed to adjust the nose attitude in coordination with flap retraction. The flaps were found in the retracted position when the airplane was examined following the accident. The engine was placed on a test stand and operated.
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: 150 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 130 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,869 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 18, 1995; 63 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 160 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 84A at 2:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 1,500 ft by 20 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:00 pm from PDK, 30 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.