Piper PA-28-140 accident near Canton, Georgia, April 2, 2023
On April 2, 2023 at about 3:50 pm local time, a 1964 Piper PA-28-140, registered N6301W, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Canton, Georgia (Cherokee County Rgnl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control following a bounced landing, which resulted in a runway excursion and a nose over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 2, 2023 · about 3:50 pm local time
- Place
- Canton, Georgia · Cherokee County Rgnl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140, built 1964 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N6301W · registry record · serial 28-20344
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While on approach to land, the pilot reported that the airplane descended faster than he had wanted it to, so he increased the engine throttle in response. The airplane bounced during the subsequent landing attempt, and during the next touch down the pilot was unable to control the airplane’s direction and it veered off the runway to the left. The airplane crossed a grass median and a taxiway before encountering a steep drop off of the terrain where the airplane nosed over. The airplane’s fuselage, empennage, and left wing sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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 on ground during landing defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 66 hours in all; 66 in this make and model
- Last flight review: February 22, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,400 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2022; 183 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 1,321 hours total
- Operator: Kap Title INC
The flight
- Departed from: LZU Lawrenceville GA at 3:17 pm
- Destination: CNI Canton GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 5,003 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 11:35 am from CNI
Weather report (METAR): KCNI 021535Z AUTO 29011KT 10SM CLR 13/01 A3013 RMK AO2 T01300007
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on June 29, 2023. 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 | Investigative Photographs | 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.