Textron 172S N53AA

Summary

On 5 December 2023 at about 20:00 local time, a Textron 172S registered N53AA was involved in an accident near Social Circle, Georgia, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 December 2023 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Social Circle, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Sleepy Hollow (18GA)

Coordinates

33.6932, -83.6577

Aircraft

Textron 172S

Registration

N53AA

Category

Airplane

Year built

2016

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Athens → Covington

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA24LA057

Nobody was injured.

An encounter with a downdraft while maneuvering at low altitude, which resulted in a collision with a fence.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.