Cessna 172RG accident near Onancock, Virginia, August 20, 1990
On August 20, 1990 at about 2:00 am local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N6599R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Onancock, Virginia. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE INFLIGHT LOSS OF CONTROL BECAUSE THE PILOT EXPERIENCED SPATIAL DISORIENTATION. OTHER FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT ARE VFR FLIGHT INTO IMC, NIGHT CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 1990 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Onancock, Virginia
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N6599R · no longer on the register · serial 172RG0205
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT WAS ON A NIGHT VFR FLIGHT WHEN THE ACFT CRASHED INTO THE CHESAPEAKE BAY IN A STEEP NOSE-DOWN ATTITUDE. WITNESSES WHO HEARD THE CRASH REPORTED THE WEATHER WAS CLOUDY, ALTHOUGH THE WEATHER 35 MILES NORTH OF THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS REPORTED AS CLEAR. THE INVESTIGATION DID NOT DISCLOSE EVIDENCE OF AIRCRAFT MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION. THE PLT WAS SEATED IN THE RIGHT SEAT. ALTHOUGH HE WAS NOT A CFI, HE LOGGED 44 HOURS OF INSTRUCTIONAL TIME.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 293 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 217 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,480 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 20, 1990; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-FIA6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RZZ Roanoke Rapids NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 190° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft; scat
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.