Cessna 172N accident near Port Royal, Virginia, August 25, 1988
On August 25, 1988 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N213JA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Port Royal, Virginia (Shannon airport). It was an aerial observation flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- August 25, 1988 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Port Royal, Virginia · Shannon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N213JA · no longer on the register · serial 172-73595
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT DEPARTED FREDERICKSBURG, VA, FOR A POWER LINE PATROL FLIGHT IN PORT ROYAL, VA. AFTER INTERSECTING THE POWER LINES AT THE SUBSTATION, THE PATROL WAS INITIATED FLYING 10 FT ABOVE AND 20 FT TO THE LEFT OF THE LINES. THE PLT STATED HE WAS LOOKING FORWARD OUTSIDE THE ACFT WHEN HE FELT THE ACFT CONTACT THE POWER LINES. CONTACT WITH TWO LINES RESULTED IN THE SEPARATION OF 4 FT OF THE RUDDER, ELEVATOR DAMAGE, AND SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT FLAP. THE PLT CONTINUED THE FLT AND RETURNED TO SHANNON ARPT AFTER DECLARING AN EMERGENCY WITH QUANTICO MARINE BASE ATCT. THE PLT MADE A LONG STRAIGHT-IN APCH TO RWY 23 AND LANDED THE ACFT WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,200 hours in all; 352 in this make and model; 189 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 1,164 as pilot in command; 505 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,392 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 8, 1988; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hanover Aviation Company
The flight
- Departed from: W07 Fredericksburg VA at 12:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:50 pm from IAD, 49 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.