Cessna 172N accident near Lawrenceville, Georgia, April 10, 1997
On April 10, 1997 at about 1:18 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N4874D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lawrenceville, Georgia (Gwinett County airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during a crosswind landing. The winds were a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 10, 1997 · about 1:18 pm local time
- Place
- Lawrenceville, Georgia · Gwinett County
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N4874D · no longer on the register · serial 17272382
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot stated that the tower advised him on downwind that another pilot had encountered a wind shear on landing earlier that day. The student pilot completed a touch-and-go landing without incident. He remained in closed traffic for another touch-and-go landing. As he started his round out the airplane encountered gusty wind conditions. The airplane ballooned up and started to settle, when a second gust was encountered and the left wing was pitched downward. The airplane was blown off the left side of the runway while airborne. He attempted a go-around and was reaching for the flaps when he encountered a third gust. The airplane pitched down and the nosewheel collided with the ground. He lost directional control of the airplane, it veered further to the left, and nosed over inverted.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 24 hours in all; 24 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,453 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 2, 1997; 65 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Pks INC.
The flight
- Departed from: LZU at 1:13 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 7, 6,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 8 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:26 pm from LZU
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N4874D 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.