- Date
- June 20, 2018, 12:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Bruington, VA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8090XCessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 18, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20180620008319A
- Case key
- 97548
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 improper decision to abort the takeoff with insufficient runway remaining to safely stop the airplane.
Findings · 4
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
The pilot reported that, after taking off from an unimproved gravel surface in a field, he did not feel comfortable with the airplane's performance, so he chose to abort the takeoff. The airplane touched down on soft dirt, and the nose landing gear then dug into the dirt and separated from the airplane. The airplane then nosed over and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that, after taking off from an unimproved gravel surface in a field, he did not feel comfortable with the airplane's performance and aborted the departure. The airplane touchdown in a pasture, the nose landing gear dug into soft dirt and separated from the airplane. The airplane then nosed over and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8090X
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (B)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17248590
- Built
- 1961
- Airframe hours
- 2,872
- Engine
- Cont Motor O-300 SER, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 23, 2017
- Departed
- Bruington, VA
- Destination
- XSA · Tappahannock, VA
- Equipment
- Stall warning system
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
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial, Military, Flight engineer
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 14, 2018
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 10,235 total · 350 in this make and model · 2,780 as pilot in command · 331 in the last 90 days · 89 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,200 ft broken
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.87 inHg
- Observed at
- KXSA, 4 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 27, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.5 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.