Cessna P210 accident near Atlanta, Georgia, October 8, 2021
On October 8, 2021 at about 5:11 pm local time, a 1978 Cessna P210, registered N128EE, was destroyed in an accident during initial climb near Atlanta, Georgia (Dekalb-Peachtree airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to ensure that his seat was properly secured before initiating the takeoff, which resulted in a loss of control during the initial climb. Contributing to the accident was the lack of an installed secondary seat stop, and the airplane’s aft center of gravity condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 8, 2021 · about 5:11 pm local time
- Place
- Atlanta, Georgia · Dekalb-Peachtree · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna P210 N, built 1978 · all P210s on the register
- Registration
- N128EE · registry record · serial P21000133
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and three passengers were taking off when the airplane became airborne about 1,000 ft down the runway, pitched nose up, and rolled left to an inverted attitude before impacting terrain next to the runway in a nose-down attitude. Postaccident examination of the flight controls revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Review of weight and balance information indicated that the airplane was more than 500 lbs over its maximum gross weight and that the center of gravity was aft of limits. Examination of the wreckage revealed witness marks along the pilot’s seat tracks that corresponded with the seat being in the aft position at the time of impact. Given the pilot's stature, it is unlikely that this position would have allowed him to fully actuate the flight controls, and it is therefore unlikely that he intentionally initiated the takeoff with his seat in this position. Examination of the wreckage and maintenance logs revealed that the airplane was not equipped with manufacturer-recommended secondary seat stop mechanisms for either of the two front seats. Review of operational and maintenance documents published by the airframe manufacturer showed the critical importance of ensuring that the pilot seats were secured before initiating a flight, since accelerations such as those encountered during takeoff could dislodge an unsecured seat. It is likely that the pilot did not properly secure his seat before takeoff, which resulted in the seat sliding aft, and his subsequent inadvertent application of aft inputs to the control yoke during the rotation and initial climb, which resulted in the airplane’s steep climb and a loss of control. The airplane’s aft center of gravity likely contributed to the loss of control. Although toxicology testing of the pilot identified the presence of several medications, whether any medical factors contributed to the accident could not be determined from the available evidence. Some or all of the ethanol detected in the pilot’s toxicology may have been from sources other than consumption.
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 control in flight during initial climb defining event
- Aircraft loading event during prior to flight
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Weight/balance calculations › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Fuselage › Seat/cargo attach fitting › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,390.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 19, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls Royce 250-B17F/2 (turboprop); 677 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Algab Holdings LLC
The flight
- Destination: Houston TX
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 21L, 6,001 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 3,700 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.08 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from PDK
Weather report (METAR): KPDK 081653Z 30004KT 10SM FEW037 26/18 A3008 RMK AO2 SLP169 T02610183
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA22FA009.