Cessna 152 accident near Warrenton, Virginia, November 19, 1987
On November 19, 1987 at about 4:32 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N757ER, was destroyed in an accident near Warrenton, Virginia. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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
- November 19, 1987 · about 4:32 pm local time
- Place
- Warrenton, Virginia
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N757ER · registry record · serial 15279685
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED TO BE FLYING STRAIGHT AND LEVEL WHEN THE SOUNDS OF THE ENG WERE HEARD TO INCREASE. THE ONLY WITNESS SAW THE ACFT NOSE OVER AND DIVE INTO THE GROUND. RADAR TRACKING OF THE ACFT FLT PATH CONFIRMS THIS. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE THIS WAS THE STUDENT-PLTS FIRST FLT AND THAT HE WAS UNDER A GREAT DEAL OF PRESSURE. EXAM OF THE ACFT AND ENG DID NOT DISCLOSE ANY EVIDENCE OF PREIMPACT FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,618 hours in all; 986 in this make and model; 122 in the last 90 days; 2,361 as pilot in command; 978 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,022 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 30, 1987; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Dulles Air Service
The flight
- Departed from: IAD Chantilly VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 14,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from IAD, 17 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N757ER the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.