- Date
- August 1, 1998, 14:10 local (18:10 UTC)
- Place
- Culpeper, VA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N89074Cessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 16, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980801019299A
- Case key
- 43552
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
Failure to maintain directional control during the takeoff roll. A related factor was wind gusts.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
According to the student pilot, as he began the takeoff roll on runway 4, the airplane started to yaw to the left. He said the throttle was at full power, and he corrected with right rudder, but the airplane continued off the left side of the runway, onto the grass, struck a ditch and nosed over. He reported over 30 hours of total flight experience, including 17 hours in make and model, and 7 hours of solo flight experience. He also reported that there was no mechanical malfunction with the airplane or the engine. The reported weather at the time of the accident was winds from 020 at 10 knots with wind gusts to 14 knots.
Factual narrative
On August 1, 1998, at 1410 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 152, N89074, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain during the takeoff roll at the Culpeper County Airport, Culpeper, Virginia. The certificated student pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed. The local, instructional flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the pilot, as he began the takeoff roll on runway 4, the airplane started to yaw to the left. He said the throttle was at full power, and he corrected with right rudder, but the airplane continued off the left side of the runway, onto the grass, struck a ditch and nosed over.
The pilot reported over 30 hours of total flight experience, including 17 hours in make and model, and 7 hours of solo flight experience. He also reported that there was no mechanical malfunction with the airplane or the engine. The reported weather at the time of the accident was winds from 020 at 10 knots with wind gusts to 14 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N89074
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15282619
- Airframe hours
- 6,008
- Engine
- Lycoming, 108 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Aero Safety Flight Training
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 8, 1998 · 53 hours before
- Departed
- CJR
- Airport
- CJR · Culpeper Co, runway 4, 4,002 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 29
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 36 total · 17 in this make and model · 10 as pilot in command · 23 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 10 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CJR
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.