- Date
- October 25, 2023, 09:57 local (13:57 UTC)
- Place
- Atlanta, GA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7981ECessna 150
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down
- 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
- Case key
- 193301
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 flight instructor’s inadequate remedial action and the student pilot’s failure to relinquish the flight controls as directed by the flight instructor, resulting in a loss of control and nose over.
Findings · 3
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 flight instructor and the student pilot were landing the tailwheel-equipped airplane at the destination airport. The flight instructor described that the student’s wheel landing was at the proper speed and aligned with the runway, but with a slight left drift. The student applied right rudder along with (inadvertent) right brake pressure. The flight instructor announced “I have the aircraft” but felt significant resistance on the flight controls. He repeated the call as the airplane approached the right side of the runway. As the airplane progressed toward the grass off the side of the runway, the flight instructor again verbalized that he was trying to take control of the airplane as the student pilot applied both brakes. The airplane then abruptly stopped and nosed over. The airplane’s vertical stabilizer was substantially damaged during the accident. The flight instructor reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7981E
- Reported as
- Cessna 150 (UNDESIGNATED SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17781
- Built
- 1959
- Airframe hours
- 4,589
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A2, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 2, 2023 · 6 hours before
- Departed
- 1GA2 · Luthersville, GA
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- CCO · Newnan Coweta County Airport, runway 33, 5,500 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 23, 2023
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 16,760 total · 250 in this make and model · 9,000 as pilot in command · 135 in the last 90 days · 45 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 32
- Injuries
- None
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 12 total · 12 in this make and model · 12 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.39 inHg
- Observed at
- KCCO, 0.22 nm away
- METAR
- KCCO 251355Z AUTO 10005KT 10SM SCT042 OVC050 14/09 A3039 RMK AO2 T01350090
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 4, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 11.7 MB in all.
Other investigations on N7981E · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.