Cessna 172 accident near Atlanta, Georgia, May 2, 2017
On May 2, 2017 at about 1:35 pm local time, a 2004 Cessna 172, registered N704RB, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Atlanta, Georgia (Dekalb-Peachtree 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 student’s incorrect use of the go-around procedure, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall, and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 2, 2017 · about 1:35 pm local time
- Place
- Atlanta, Georgia · Dekalb-Peachtree · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 SP, built 2004 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N704RB · registry record · serial 172S9657
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that he and his student were practicing landings. He reported that his student's approach was unstable and left of the centerline as the airplane approached the runway numbers. The instructor called for a go-around and applied full throttle, and the student pitched for a climb, but the airplane stalled. The instructor pushed the nose down to increase the airspeed, but the airplane impacted the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the empennage. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident 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
- Abrupt maneuver during landing
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during takeoff defining event
- Hard landing during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of policy/procedure › Student/instructed pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,700 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days; 2,600 as pilot in command; 1,590 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 40 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,234.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 6, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 4,302 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FTY Atlanta GA at 1:15 pm
- Destination: PDK Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21R, 3,746 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from KPDK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on October 4, 2017. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record - No Photographs | 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.
Other NTSB records under N704RB the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.