Cessna 172I accident near Cummings, Georgia, November 9, 1997
On November 9, 1997 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172I, registered N46029, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cummings, Georgia (Mathis airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot landed the airplane with a tailwind condition, too long and too fast for the runway conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 9, 1997 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Cummings, Georgia · Mathis · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172I · all 172Is on the register
- Registration
- N46029 · no longer on the register · serial 17256999
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he attempted to land two times. On the second landing on runway 03, he 'touched down about halfway down the runway,' he applied brakes, and the airplane slowed down. When it looked as though the airplane would not stop he applied power to go-around and the airplane struck trees. The pilot said that when he started his approach it looked to him, based on the wind sock, that the winds were across the runway from his left to the right. A witness saw the airplane landing downwind and long. The reported winds were from 300 degrees at 16 knots.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,181 hours in all; 1,162 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 1,156 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,660 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 4, 1997; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-300-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MLJ Milledgeville GA at 9:20 pm
- Destination: 84A
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 3, 1,550 ft by 20 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 12 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:24 pm from PDK, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.