Cessna 150 accident near Atlanta, Georgia, October 25, 2023
On October 25, 2023 at about 1:57 pm local time, a 1959 Cessna 150, registered N7981E, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Atlanta, Georgia (Newnan Coweta County Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor’s inadequate remedial action and the student pilot’s failure to relinquish the flight controls as directed by the flight instructor, resulting in a loss of control and nose over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 25, 2023 · about 1:57 pm local time
- Place
- Atlanta, Georgia · Newnan Coweta County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 UNDESIGNAT, built 1959 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N7981E · no longer on the register · serial 17781
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor and the student pilot were landing the tailwheel-equipped airplane at the destination airport. The flight instructor described that the student’s wheel landing was at the proper speed and aligned with the runway, but with a slight left drift. The student applied right rudder along with (inadvertent) right brake pressure. The flight instructor announced “I have the aircraft” but felt significant resistance on the flight controls. He repeated the call as the airplane approached the right side of the runway. As the airplane progressed toward the grass off the side of the runway, the flight instructor again verbalized that he was trying to take control of the airplane as the student pilot applied both brakes. The airplane then abruptly stopped and nosed over. The airplane’s vertical stabilizer was substantially damaged during the accident. The flight instructor reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of 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
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear brakes system › Incorrect use/operation
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Student/instructed pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Instructor/check pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 16,760 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 135 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 9,000 as pilot in command; 250 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 23, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Flight time: 12 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,589 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 2, 2023; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1GA2 Luthersville GA at 1:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 5,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft; scat at 4,200 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.39 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 am from KCCO
Weather report (METAR): KCCO 251355Z AUTO 10005KT 10SM SCT042 OVC050 14/09 A3039 RMK AO2 T01350090
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on January 4, 2024. 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 NTSB Conversation | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for Record - Initial Statement from Student | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Investigative Photograph | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | 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.