ATL04CA170

Factual narrative

On August 28, 2004, at 0906 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172R, N26486, registered to T J Aviation Inc. and operated by PDK flight Academy collided with the ground an a fence during takeoff climb from Peachtree-Dekalb Airport, Chamblee, Georgia. The instructional flight was conducted under the provision of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane was substantially damaged and the certified flight instructor and private pilot reported minor injuries. The flight departed Peachtree-Dekalb Airport, Chamblee, Georgia on August 28, 2004 at 0900. According to the certified flight instructor (CFI), during takeoff climb at approximately 75 feet the dual student told the CFI to "take the airplane; we've got to go down now". The CFI replied "ok my airplane". With no runway left to land, the CFI attempted to add full power to conduct a go-around. The dual students hand remained on the throttle, and prevented the CFI from regaining full control of the airplane. The CFI told the dual student that he had to conduct a go-around, but the dual student responded "no we have to get down now". The CFI instructed the dual student to "let go of the throttle; my airplane; we need full power". The CFI attempted to add full power but the dual student continued to pull the power back to idle. The CFI yelled at the dual student "you're going to kill us; let go!" The CFI applied full elevator back pressure and the airplane collided with the airport fence. No flight control or mechanical anomalies were reported by the CFI or the dual student prior to the accident. According to the dual student, he felt apprehensive since he hadn't flown for some time. During the climb out the dual student told the CFI "we need to go down now" and pulled out the throttle and adjusted the yoke to land. The CFI responded "no, we'll go around". According to the dual student, the CFI tried to take control of the control yoke, but the dual student would not let go. The airplane collided with the ground and slid into the airport fence. Examination of the airplane revealed the aft cabin section of the airplane was buckled. Both left and right wing assemblies were buckled, and the main landing gears were bent aft towards the tail section of the airplane. The pilots reported no mechanical problems with the airplane during the short flight. According to the certified flight instructor (CFI), during takeoff climb at approximately 75 feet the dual student told the CFI to "take the airplane; we've got to go down now". The CFI replied "ok my airplane". The CFI attempted to add full power to conduct a go-around. The dual students hand remained on the throttle. The CFI told the dual student that he had to conduct a go-around, the dual student responded "no we have to get down now". The CFI instructed the dual student to "let go of the throttle; my airplane; we need full power". The CFI attempted to add full power but the dual student continued to pull the power back to idle. The CFI yelled at the dual student "you're going to kill us; let go!" The CFI applied full elevator back pressure and the airplane collided with the airport fence. No flight control or mechanical anomalies were reported by the CFI or the dual student. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12