Dassault FALCON 900B accident near Chamblee, Georgia, March 26, 1997
On March 26, 1997 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Dassault FALCON 900B, registered N332MC, was involved in an accident near Chamblee, Georgia. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an encounter with clear air turbulence, which led to injury of the flight attendant. A factor associated with the accident was: that the flight attendant was not being restrained by a seat belt.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 26, 1997 · about 6:45 pm local time · cases in 1997
- Place
- Chamblee, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Dassault FALCON 900B FALCON 900 · all FALCON 900Bs on the register
- Registration
- N332MC · registry record · serial 078
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
As the airplane was cruising at 31,000 feet, light turbulence was encountered. The flight was cleared to descend in preparation for landing at the destination airport. Passing through 30,000 feet, the airplane encountered moderate turbulence. As the airplane descended through 27,000 feet, there was a sudden drop of about 10 to 15 feet, which resulted in the flight attendant falling to the floor in the aft lavatory. Her fall resulted in a broken ankle.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,494 hours in all; 4,240 in this make and model; 149 in the last 90 days; 38 in the last 30 days; 9,141 as pilot in command; 1,600 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,390 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 1, 1997; 103 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 46,700 lb
- Seats: 15
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TFE-731-5BR-1 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Mci Systemhouse CORP.
The flight
- Departed from: IAD Washington DC at 3:55 pm
- Destination: PDK
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 10 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N332MC on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Dassault FALCON 900 277 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Dassault 232 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Garrett TFE-731-5BR-1 25 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Washington Dulles International · departed from
- Dekalb-Peachtree Airport · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Georgia 2,138 since 1982 · 362 in the last ten years
- Georgia 8,801 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL97LA055.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.