Maule M-7-260C accident near Cumming, Georgia, February 10, 2008
On February 10, 2008 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Maule M-7-260C, registered N721H, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Cumming, Georgia (Mathis Airport). It was a personal 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 pilot's failure to maintain directional control during an aborted landing. Contributing to the accident were the gusty crosswind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 10, 2008 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Cumming, Georgia · Mathis Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Maule M-7-260C · all M-7-260Cs on the register
- Registration
- N721H · registry record · serial 30021C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot of the Maule M-7-260C, he attempted a landing on runway 21 after a "normal pattern approach." He made a crosswind correction on final approach, and at touchdown, encountered a windshear that caused the airplane to balloon 20 to 25 feet at "near zero" forward groundspeed. The pilot attempted to go around, but the crosswind shift blew the airplane into hangars bordering the left side of the runway. The pilot further noted that he couldn't regain lateral control when the wind shifted to a right crosswind, and that if he had allowed the airplane to descend from the balloon height with only a partial application of power to soften the landing, he might not have been blown into the hangars. The pilot did not report any mechanical anomalies with the airplane. Runway 21 was 1,800 feet long and 35 feet wide. Winds, recorded at an airport 12 nautical miles to the southeast about the time of the accident, were from 280 degrees at 16, gusting to 26 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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during landing defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Not specified
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 532 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 49A Ellijay GA at 5:30 pm
- Destination: GA27 Cumming GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 1,800 ft by 35 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 16 knots, gusting 26
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.23 inHg
- Observation at 4:55 pm from LZU, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.