Cessna 172RG accident near Chesapeake, Virginia, February 12, 1984
On February 12, 1984 at about 4:36 pm local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N5299U, was destroyed in an accident near Chesapeake, Virginia (Chesapeake airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 12, 1984 · about 4:36 pm local time
- Place
- Chesapeake, Virginia · Chesapeake · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N5299U · no longer on the register · serial 172RG0328
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PRIOR TO DEPARTURE, THE PLT WAS TWICE ADVISED THAT THE DESTINATION WX WAS BELOW MOST USERS MINIMUMS. THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT THEN DEPARTED DULLES ARPT ON AN IFR FLT PLAN IN IMC. AFTER DEPARTURE, HE DID NOT FOLLOW ASSIGNED HEADINGS, & FOR A PERIOD OF ABOUT 30 MINS, RADIO COMMUNICATIONS WERE LOST. AFTER RADIO CONTACT WAS RE-ESTABLISHED, THE PLT WAS CONTINUOUSLY ADVISED THAT THE WEATHER AT HIS DESTINATION WAS BELOW MINIMUMS. THE PLT SUBSEQUENTLY STATED THAT HE WANTED TO PUT DOWN AT THE FIRST AVAILABLE ARPT. AGAIN, RADIO CONTACT WAS LOST UNTIL THE PLT REPORTED HE WAS FLYING INLAND TOWARD TRI-COUNTY ARPT IN AHOSKI, NC. THIS WAS THE LAST TRANSMISSION THAT WAS RECEIVED. THE PLT CHANGED HIS TRANSPONDER CODE TO 1200. THE ACFT SUBSEQUENTLY IMPACTED THE GROUND 1-1/2 MI SOUTH OF THE PLT'S ORIGINAL DESTINATION ARPT.
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: 161 hours in all; 37 in this make and model; 112 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 13, 1983; 57 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,653 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Washington DC at 2:18 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 4, 3,600 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 080° at 5 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:00 am from ORF, 21 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.