- Date
- December 5, 2023, 15:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Social Circle, GA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N53AATextron 172S
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)
- 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
- 20231205021429A
- Case key
- 193481
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
An encounter with a downdraft while maneuvering at low altitude, which resulted in a collision with a fence.
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
According to the flight instructor, he was simulating an engine failure with the student pilot. He selected a field to approach and proceeded to reduce the engine rpm to simulate the engine failure. They continued the maneuver until they were approximately 100 feet above the ground, at which point he instructed the student pilot to add full power and climb out. The student pilot complied, but right at that moment, the flight instructor felt a heavy gust of wind. He described it as a downdraft, and despite the engine producing full power, it would not climb. The flight instructor took control of the airplane and attempted to recover it from the descent. The airplane continued to descended until it collided with a fence and touched down in the field. During the landing roll, the airplane impacted a tree, resulting in substantial damage to the horizontal stabilizer. The pilots reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. An engine test run was facilitated, and no anomalies were noted during the test.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N53AA
- Reported as
- Textron 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S11737
- Built
- 2016
- Airframe hours
- 5,249
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 18, 2023
- Departed
- AHN · Athens, GA
- Destination
- CVC · Covington, GA
- Airport
- 18GA · Sleepy Hollow, runway 34, 2,600 × 22 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic multifunction display, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Electronic primary flight display
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
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 45
- 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
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 9,100 total · 239 in this make and model · 5,155 as pilot in command · 65 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 35
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 121 total · 121 in this make and model · 2 as pilot in command · 28 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 9 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 50 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.09 inHg
- Observed at
- AHN, 23 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 21, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.8 MB 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.