# Accident 20251220019149A: Cessna 172P, Quinton, VA, December 20, 2025

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 20, 2025, 15:25 local time
- Place: Quinton, VA
- Airport: New Kent County
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: Pilot school (Part 141)
- Location: 37.5034° N, 77.1077° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.5034&lon=-77.1077&mi=10
- Aircraft: N54576, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N54576) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172P (registry code 2072436, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172p) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172P
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-320-D2J
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 314 total, 203 in this make and model, 61 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA26LA073](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA26LA073) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20251220019149A

## Narrative

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

ON 20 DECEMBER, 2025, PILOT IN COMMAND (PIC) DEPARTED W96 NEW KENT COUNTY AIRPORT, PERFORMED ONE TRAFFIC PATTERN WITH NO ANOMOLIES.  ON CLIMB OUT OF SECOND DEPARTURE FROM THE RUNWAY, HEARD ENGINE RPM DECREASE, THEN INCREASE,  WITH THIS CYCLE REPEATED THREE TIMES. AFTER FIRST RPM DECREASE AND SURGE, PIC STATED THAT HE APPLIED CARBURATOR HEAT, FULL THROTTLE, AND FULL MIXTURE.  PIC ESTABLISHED BEST GLIDE SPEED 65 KNTS INDICATED AND STARTED LEFT TURN, THEN REALIZED THAT THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH ALTITUDE TO COMPLETE A TURN TO THE RUNWAY.  PIC LEVELED WINGS AND EXPECTED TO PUT AIRCRAFT INTO THE FIELD.  PIC STATED THAT ENGINE THEN FAILED, SOUNDED AS IF THE AIRCRAFT WERE A GLIDER WHISTLING, PROP WAS WINDMILLING.  PIC DETERMINED THAT THE AIRSPEED WOULD TAKE THE AIRCRAFT INTO THE TREES, STARTED A VERY SHALLOW LEFT TURN FOR A LARGER FIELD OPENING.  PIC TRIED TO SLOW THE AIRCRAFT WITH FLAPS, THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN IN SOFT GROUND CLOSE TO THE TREE LINE, GROUND SCARS INDICATE THAT THE AIRPLANE MAY HAVE BOUNCED UP SLIGHTLY OFF THE GROUND, AND THEN TOUCHED DOWN AT THE TREE LINE WITH THE RIGHT WING STRIKING TREES FIRST, SPINNING THE AIRCRAFT LEFT UNTIL THE NOSE AND LEFT WING ENTERED THE TREE LINE.  EXAMINATION OF THE PROPELLER CONSISTANT WITH ENGINE NOT PRODUCING POWER.  FUEL SAMPLES AND FUEL LEVEL IN LEFT TANK AND ENGINE BOWL /CARBURATOR APPEARED NORMAL ILLIMINATING FUEL STARVATION AS ROOT CAUSE.  RIGHT TANK FUEL CELL COMPROMISED AND NOT MEASURED. INVESTIGATION CURRENTLY ONGOING TO DETERMINE PROBABLE CAUSE OF ENGINE MALFUNCTION.

## 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 ERA26LA073](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA26LA073), Dec 20, 2025: Cessna 172P (N54576), Browns Corner, VA, substantial damage, investigation ongoing

## Other reports on N54576 (2)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 20010702017779A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20010702017779A), Jul 2, 2001: Cessna 172P (N54576), Stevensville, MD, No damage. (-23) Pilot landed hard on runway 11 at W29 and porpoised the aircraft damaging the firewall. The pilot admitted he made an error.
- [Accident 19820419010219A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19820419010219A), Apr 19, 1982: Cessna 172P (N54576), Morristown, NJ, Substantial damage. Student pilot with passenger collided with trees during touch and go landings.

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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