- Date
- January 28, 2025, 21:05 local (Jan 29, 2025, 02:05 UTC)
- Place
- Kennesaw, GA · RWY 27
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1159KCessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing area undershoot
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- 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
- 20250128009569A
- Case key
- 199695
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 student pilot’s failure to maintain an appropriate glide path and the flight instructor’s inadequate monitoring of the landing approach, which resulted in the airplane contacting the ground short of the runway.
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
According to the flight instructor, the student pilot had previously completed three-night landings to a full stop and taxi back during the dual instructional flight. On the fourth attempt, the instructor elected to simulate a loss of engine power. While on final approach, the student pilot aligned the airplane with the runway centerline, and the flight instructor thought that the airplane would be able to reach the runway threshold. As the airplane approached the runway, the instructor described that the airplane was in a “flat position” and struck the ground, short of the runway. The nose landing gear was displaced upwards and aft which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane’s lower firewall. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The student pilot and instructor stated that they believed that the runway end identifier lights were not operating during their flight and that only the two outer left and right green lights were illuminated for the entirety of the flight, including the preceding three landings, which factored into their depth perception for touchdown. During correspondence with the student pilot following the accident, he provided an annotated aerial image where he circled the lights he believed to be inoperative at the time of the accident. According to the airport manager, the lights referenced by the student, which appeared to be the runway end and edge lighting, were operational at the time of the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1159K
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (S)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S10357
- Built
- 2006
- Airframe hours
- 7,143.9
- Engine
- Lycoming Engines IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Cavu Aero LLC
- Registered owner
- Cavu Aero LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 25, 2024
- Airport
- RYY · Cobb County Intl/Mccollum Fld, runway 27, 6,295 × 100 ft, concrete
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display, Auto-pilot, 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
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 66
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Waiver time limited special
- Last flight review
- September 22, 2024
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 4,405 total · 1,943 in this make and model · 3,560 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 28
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 52 total · 52 in this make and model · 5 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.03 inHg
- Observed at
- RYY, 1 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KRYY 282349Z 00000KT 10SM CLR 07/M03 A3003 RMK AO2 SLPNO T00671028 10133 20067 53001 $=
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 21, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.6 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.