Cessna FR-172J accident near Marietta, Georgia, December 1, 1997
On December 1, 1997 at about 4:05 pm local time, a Cessna FR-172J, registered N14493, was destroyed in an accident near Marietta, Georgia. It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A catastrophic failure of the oil cooler core which led to overboard porting of lubricating oil and subsequent engine failure.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 1, 1997 · about 4:05 pm local time
- Place
- Marietta, Georgia
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna FR-172J
- Registration
- N14493 · no longer on the register · serial 0444
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While in cruise flight, the engine began making banging and hissing sounds, emitting white smoke, and steadily losing power. The pilot requested vectors from ATC to the nearest airport, Dobbins ARB, but couldn't stretch his glide, and made a forced landing onto a construction site. The airplane came to a stop in trees and was destroyed. An NTSB-supervised teardown inspection revealed failure of the oil cooler core resulting in oil starvation.
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: 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: 950 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 121 in the last 90 days; 44 in the last 30 days; 876 as pilot in command; 431 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,904 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 29, 1997; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-H (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LZU Lawrenceville GA at 3:30 pm
- Destination: 08A Wetumpka AL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,800 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:07 pm from MGE, 3 miles away
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.
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.