Cessna 172F accident near Atlanta, Georgia, October 17, 2011
On October 17, 2011 at about 11:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172F, registered N5419R, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Atlanta, Georgia (Dekalb-Peachtree Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 17, 2011 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Atlanta, Georgia · Dekalb-Peachtree Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172F · all 172Fs on the register
- Registration
- N5419R · no longer on the register · serial 17252962
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, prior to departure, he calculated that he had 3.5 hours of usable fuel for the 2-hour-15-minute flight. He also indicated that the airplane’s average fuel consumption was 8 gallons per hour. He performed a preflight inspection and noted that the fuel gauges indicated about three-quarters full, which he believed to be about 20 to 30 gallons of fuel. During climbout, the oil door on the engine cowling opened, and the pilot returned to the departure airport to close it. After landing, the pilot taxied to the ramp to secure the door and then departed again. The cross-country flight was uneventful, but, when the airplane was on a gradual descent about 6 miles from the destination airport, the engine lost total power. The pilot attempted to continue to the destination airport, but the airplane descended into trees and impacted the ground in a residential area, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage, wings, and empennage. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the fuel tanks were not breached; recovery personnel removed a total of 1.5 gallons of fuel from the airplane. An examination of the engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot believed that the airplane had a fuel capacity of 42 gallons. According to the owner's manual, the airplane had a fuel capacity of 39 gallons, of which 36 gallons were usable.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (total) during approach defining event
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute (descent)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 209 hours in all; 170 in this make and model; 39 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 131 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 6, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,546 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 15, 2011; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor 0-300 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: N5419R LLC
The flight
- Departed from: HDX Hilton Head SC at 9:00 pm
- Destination: PDK Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from PDK, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.