Cessna 172 accident near Goldsboro, North Carolina, October 20, 2001
On October 20, 2001 at about 2:20 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N46085, was substantially damaged in an accident near Goldsboro, North Carolina (Goldsboro-Wayne Municipal airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during a touch-and-go landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 20, 2001 · about 2:20 pm local time
- Place
- Goldsboro, North Carolina · Goldsboro-Wayne Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N46085 · registry record · serial 17264175
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot completed his third practice landing. According to the student pilot, after touchdown he felt the nosewheel shimmy. As the student pilot added power for a go-around, the airplane pulled to the left. The student pilot attempted to correct with rudder, but was unable to keep the airplane from veering into the grass alongside the runway. The airplane slid into a ditch and rolled over inverted.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,907 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GWW Goldsboro NC at 1:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 5, 5,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 999° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 2:35 pm from GWW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.