Cessna 172L accident near Gordonsville, Virginia, February 23, 1986
On February 23, 1986 at about 9:21 pm local time, a Cessna 172L, registered N7191Q, was destroyed in an accident near Gordonsville, Virginia (Gordonsville airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person 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
- February 23, 1986 · about 9:21 pm local time
- Place
- Gordonsville, Virginia · Gordonsville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172L · all 172Ls on the register
- Registration
- N7191Q · no longer on the register · serial 17260491
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON FEBRUARY 23, 1986, AT 1621 EST, A CESSNA 172L, N7191Q COLLIDED WITH A TREE DURING AN ATTEMPTED GO-AROUND AT GORDONSVILLE AIRPORT, GORDONSVILLE, VA., WHILE ON A PLEASURE FLIGHT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED AND THE STUDENT PILOT RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA, ON FEBRUARY 23, 1986. A WITNESS, JAMES CHUMM, STATED THAT THE APPROACH WAS HIGH AND FAST AS THE POWER WAS INCREASED FOR WHAT HE ASSUMED WAS A GO-AROUND THE ENGINE WAS HEARD TO BACK-FIRE SEVERAL TIMES. HE THEN OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDING INTO A FIELD DURING WHICH THE LEFT WING COLLIDED WITH A TREE AND THE AIRCRAFT FLIPPED OVER AND CAME TO REST 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
- Flight time: 39 hours in all; 39 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 13 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,184 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 3, 1985; 28 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E-2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CHO Charlottesville VA
- Destination: W93 Orange VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 2,300 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:45 am from CHO, 16 miles away
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.