# Accident 20130722013979A: Cessna 172M, Fredericksburg, VA, July 22, 2013

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 22, 2013, 18:36 local time
- Place: Fredericksburg, VA
- Airport: Shannon
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Other, Specify
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.2661° N, 77.4478° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.2661&lon=-77.4478&mi=10
- Aircraft: N61954, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N61954-2018-01-05) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172M (registry code 2072418, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172m) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172M
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA13FA330](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA13FA330) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20130722013979A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

PILOT MADE COMMENTS AND LEFT A NOTE FOR HIS GIRLFRIEND.  SHE CALLED THE POLICE AND WENT TO THE AIRPORT.  THEY STRUGGLED OVER THE AIRCRAFT KEYS BUT HE GOT THEM AWAY FROM HER, STARTED THE AIRCRAFT, AND DEPARTED.  AFTER A SHORT FLIGHT AND A FEW RECKLESS FLYBYS HE LINED UP ON THE GRASS RUNWAY 33, (AS REPORTED CONSISTENTLY BY MULTIPLE WITNESSES), PULLED INTO A VERY STEEP CLIMB REACHING MORE THAN 1000' UNTIL THE AIRCRAFT STALLED, PUSHED THE NOSE OVER AND, RETAINING FULL THROTTLE, IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A VERTICAL DESCENT.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ERA13FA330](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA13FA330), Jul 22, 2013: Cessna 172M (N61954), Fredericksburg, VA, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's intentional descent into the ground to commit suicide.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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