Cessna 172K accident near Charlotte, North Carolina, August 20, 2007
On August 20, 2007 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172K, registered N7410G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Charlotte, North Carolina (Wilgrove Air Park airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control while landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 2007 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Charlotte, North Carolina · Wilgrove Air Park · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172K · all 172Ks on the register
- Registration
- N7410G · no longer on the register · serial 17259110
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot suffered a concussion and reported he has no recall of the events associated with the accident. The pilot rated passenger stated the pilot entered left downwind for the runway and in his opinion the airplane was high and fast when the pilot turned the airplane on to final approach. The pilot initiated a slip to the left to lose altitude and the airplane was crabbing to the left. The left wing of the airplane collided with a tree about 10-feet in the air and the airplane came to rest on the ground left of the runway. The passenger stated the airplane did not experienced a mechanical malfunction during the approach for landing. The airplane sustained structural damage to both wings and the airframe. The flaps were found in the full down position.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 270 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 270 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,436 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 1, 2007; 41 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming o-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Wilgrove Aviation LLC
The flight
- Departed from: K73J Beaufort SC at 6:30 pm
- Destination: K8A6 Charlotte NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 2,835 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,500 ft
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 7:52 pm from KCLT, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.