Gulfstream GIV accident near Chamblee, Georgia, March 9, 2019
On March 9, 2019 at about 8:47 pm local time, a 1995 Gulfstream GIV, registered N505GF, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Chamblee, Georgia (Dekalb-Peachtree airport). It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 14 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight crew’s incorrect glidepath and flare to landing, which resulted in a landing area undershoot and the main landing gear’s collision with the runway threshold.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 9, 2019 · about 8:47 pm local time
- Place
- Chamblee, Georgia · Dekalb-Peachtree · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 14 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Gulfstream GIV UNDESIGNAT, built 1995 · all GIVs on the register
- Registration
- N505GF · no longer on the register · serial 1275
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight crew were preparing to land after a cross-country corporate flight with 12 passengers. The pilot reported that the approach was normal but that, during the landing flare, he felt an “unusually hard impact.” The landing roll and taxi to the runway were uneventful. Examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the fuselage, and photographs revealed two tire tracks in the grass about 18 ft before the runway threshold and loose dirt and grass around the threshold, consistent with the airplane's main landing gear touching down in the grass and subsequently impacting the threshold. The pilot flying reported that this was his first landing on that runway at the destination airport. The flight crew did not report any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane. It is likely that the flight crew failed to maintain the proper glidepath during the approach.
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
- Landing area undershoot during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Incorrect use/operation
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Incorrect use/operation
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Flight crew
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,920 hours in all; 125 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 2,800 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 24, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,139 hours in all; 972 in this make and model; 46 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 5,789 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 10, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14,406.3 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, February 20, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 75,000 lb
- Seats: 16
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Rolls-Royce TAY 611-8 (turbofan); 13,761 hours total
- Engine 2: Rolls-Royce TAY 611-8 (turbofan); 13,720 hours total
- Operator: Waffle House Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: BZN Bozeman MT at 5:36 pm
- Destination: PDK Chamblee GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 34, 3,967 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,700 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from KPDK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 12 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on October 21, 2019. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Conversation (Pilot Flying) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Pilot Monitoring Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo Array | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.