Cessna 172L accident near Charlotte, North Carolina, April 8, 1986
On April 8, 1986 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172L, registered N2851Q, was destroyed in an accident near Charlotte, North Carolina (Wilgrove Airpark airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- April 8, 1986 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Charlotte, North Carolina · Wilgrove Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172L · all 172Ls on the register
- Registration
- N2851Q · no longer on the register · serial 17259851
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE ATTEMPTED TAKEOFF THE ACFT SKIPPED, CLIMBED A FEW FEET, SETTLED TO THE GROUND THEN CLIMBED AGAIN BEFORE THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO ABORT THE TAKEOFF. THE ACFT OVERRAN THE END OF THE RWY, CROSSED A ROAD AND HIT A DITCH AND NOSED OVER. AN ESTIMATED WEIGHT AND BALANCE SHOWED THAT THE ACFT WAS ABOUT 280 LBS OVER GROSS WEIGHT AND OUTSIDE OF THE AFT LIMIT OF THE CENTER OF GRAVITY CHART.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,626 hours in all; 2,700 in this make and model; 157 in the last 90 days; 10,190 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,120 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 64 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 3,212 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 15 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from CLT, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 |
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.