Cessna 172 accident near Lawrenceville, Georgia, October 14, 2018
On October 14, 2018 at about 4:30 pm local time, a 1969 Cessna 172, registered N996SB, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Lawrenceville, Georgia (Gwinnett County - Briscoe Fiel 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 pilot's improper pitch application, which resulted in a hard landing and subsequent fire. Contributing to the accident was the student’s failure to give over the flight controls to the flight instructor when instructed to do so.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 14, 2018 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lawrenceville, Georgia · Gwinnett County - Briscoe Fiel · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 K, built 1969 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N996SB · no longer on the register · serial 17258251
- 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 the student pilot approached the runway with too shallow of an angle. The student applied forward pressure on the yoke, and the airplane's nose pitched down. The instructor recalled that the student's pitch application was excessive, and he called for a transfer of the flight controls. However, the student remained on the controls, and the instructor had to overpower the student's control inputs while the airplane was in a 45° nose-down attitude. The airplane landed hard in a level attitude, and the nose landing gear collapsed. A fire erupted in the cabin, and the instructor used the fire extinguisher to attempt to extinguish the fire. Subsequently, the airplane slid to a stop on the runway, and both occupants exited; the fire consumed the cabin. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the cabin and wings. The instructor reported that there were no 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
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Landing gear collapse during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Incorrect use/operation
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Student/instructed pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Student/instructed pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,006 hours in all; 654 in this make and model; 53 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 2,955 as pilot in command; 1,308 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 2, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
Dual student
- Flight time: 4 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,896 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 4, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 1,050 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Skyfusion II Llc.
The flight
- Departed from: PDK Atlanta GA at 3:00 pm
- Destination: PDK Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 07, 6,000 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 4:48 pm from KLZU
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 June 25, 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo | 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.