- Date
- January 9, 2026, 15:39 local (20:39 UTC)
- Place
- Flemington, GA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N96493Cessna 172P
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Fuel related
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 14, 2026
- 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
- 20260109000449A
- Case key
- 202290
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 inadvertent manipulation of the mixture control, which resulted in a total loss of engine power during initial climb and a subsequent forced lading.
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
Shortly after takeoff, during the initial climb, the pilot stated that he perceived that the airplane’s engine noise was louder than normal. After ensuring that the pilot and passenger side windows were closed and locked, he decided that he would decrease the engine throttle slightly to diagnose the sound. When the pilot reached for the throttle, he inadvertently grabbed the mixture control, and after pulling it back, the engine lost power completely. The pilot attempted to restart the engine twice, but both attempts were unsuccessful. As the airplane was approaching a tree line, and only at an altitude of about 300 ft above the ground, the pilot decided to turn back to a field that was near the end of the runway. The pilot subsequently landed the airplane off-airport, and during the landing roll the nose landing gear encountered a rut. The airplane subsequently nosed over, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane’s rudder and wings. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N96493
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17276080
- Airframe hours
- 16,450
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 D2J, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 22, 2025 · 58 hours before
- Airport
- LHW · Wright Aaf (Fort Stewart)/Midcoast Rgnl, runway 15L, 5,001 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, ADS-B, Auto-pilot, 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 47
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 12, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 3,310 total · 203 in this make and model · 1,487 as pilot in command · 54 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.13 inHg
- Observed at
- LHW
- METAR
- METAR KLHW 091955Z AUTO 13008KT 10SM SCT042 28/17 A3013 RMK AO2 SLP206 T02750170 $
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 14, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.0 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.
Other investigations on N96493 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.