Cessna 172RG accident near Mathew, Virginia, May 14, 1988
On May 14, 1988 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N6449R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mathew, Virginia (Holly Point airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 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 14, 1988 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Mathew, Virginia · Holly Point · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N6449R · no longer on the register · serial 172RG0183
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED HE DID A SOFT FIELD TAKEOFF USING 10 DEGS OF FLAPS. THE ACFT LIFTED OFF AT ABOUT 55 TO 60 KTS BUT ACCORDING TO THE PLT, WAS UNABLE TO CLIMB OUT OF GROUNDEFFECT. SINCE HE WAS TOO FAR DOWN THE RWY TO ABORT THE TAKEOFF THE PLT INCREASED PITCH TO CLIMB; HOWEVER, THE ACFT STALLED, COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND, AND NOSED OVER. THE PLT REPORTED NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION. EXAMINATION OF THE ACFT REVEALED THAT THE FLAPS WERE RETRACTED.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,700 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 6,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,520 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 27, 1988; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Mideastern Airways INC.
The flight
- Destination: ORF Norfolk VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 2,200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from PHF
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.