Cessna 152 accident near Fredericksburg, Virginia, May 30, 1987
On May 30, 1987 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N25448, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fredericksburg, Virginia (Shannon airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. 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
- May 30, 1987 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Fredericksburg, Virginia · Shannon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N25448 · no longer on the register · serial 15280668
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CFI STATED THAT DRG TKOF, THE ACFT ACCELERATED SLOWER THAN NORMAL. AFTER ROLLING ABT 1800', THE STUDENT ROTATED THE ACFT TO A NORMAL CLIMB ATTITUDE & IT CLIMBED APRX 5' TO 10'. AT ABOUT THAT TIME, THE CFI NOTED THAT THE AIRSPEED INDCN HAD DROPPED TO ABT 40 KTS & THE ACFT BEGAN TO DSCND. HE THEN TOOK THE CONTROLS & ABORTED THE TKOF WITH ABOUT 700' TO 800' OF RWY REMAINING. HE APPLIED BRAKES, BUT THE ACFT SKIDDED OFF THE RGT SIDE OF THE RWY AT THE DEP END & HIT A CONCRETE PAD CONTAINING RWY END/THRESHOLD LIGHTS. THE TEMP WAS 90 DEG & THE DENSITY ALT WAS APRX 2250'. THE CFI EXPECTEDA LONGER THAN NORMAL TKOF ROLL, BUT AT THE TIME OF THE OCCURRENCE, HE COULD NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THE INDCD AIRSPEED HAD DROPPED. RPRTDLY, THE OWNER HAD INSTALLED A MOVABLE COVER ON THE PITOT TUBE TO KEEP INSECTS OUT, WHICH COULD BLOCK ITS OPENING DRG HI ANGLE OF ATTACK OPNS.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 334 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 72 in the last 90 days; 273 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,639 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 29, 1986; 78 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 3,000 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 5 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.