- Date
- October 27, 2022, 14:15 UTC
- Place
- Roberta, GA
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4349RCessna 172M
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Runway excursion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20221027022599A
- Case key
- 106213
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain a stabilized approach speed on landing, which resulted in a runway excursion and collision with logs.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot was too high on approach to land, so he lowered the flaps and reduced power to idle. He said his groundspeed “seemed a little high” prior to touching down but he continued to land on the 3,500 ft long grass runway. The braking effectiveness on the grass was not good, but the pilot said it was “too late” to go around. The airplane went off the end of the runway and collided with a pile of logs, which resulted in substantial damage to the right-wing spar.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4349R
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17263100
- Built
- 1974
- Airframe hours
- 6,197
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 3, 2021 · 24.9 hours before
- Departed
- OPN · Thomaston, GA
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- 0GA9 · Gentle Landings Air Park, runway 12, 3,500 × 125 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Unknown
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 79
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,795 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.10 inHg
- Observed at
- KOPN, 19 nm away
- METAR
- KOPN 271735Z AUTO 11006KT 10SM CLR 24/09 A3010 RMK AO2
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 7, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 576 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.