Cessna 172 accident near Lynchburg, Virginia, October 18, 2018
On October 18, 2018 at about 2:57 pm local time, a 2010 Cessna 172, registered N924MM, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Lynchburg, Virginia (Lynchburg Regional 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 stuck No. 2 cylinder exhaust valve, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power and a subsequent forced landing and impact with a ditch.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 18, 2018 · about 2:57 pm local time
- Place
- Lynchburg, Virginia · Lynchburg Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 S, built 2010 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N924MM · registry record · serial 172S11056
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that, shortly after the student pilot conducted the takeoff for the instructional flight, they felt the engine vibrate and the airplane shudder. They then noticed that the rpm had decreased and that the engine's performance had degraded. The instructor took the controls and lowered the nose to prevent a stall. He attempted to land on the intersecting runway, and the airplane touched down with about 100 ft of runway remaining. Realizing that the airplane could not be stopped within the remaining runway, the instructor steered the airplane right to avoid a steep drop-off past the runway end. The airplane subsequently impacted a ditch and then came to rest in grass in a nose-down position. The left wing sustained substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the No. 2 cylinder exhaust valve was stuck open. Given this evidence, it is likely that the stuck exhaust valve resulted in the partial loss of engine power.
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
What happened, in order
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during initial climb
- Loss of engine power (partial) during initial climb defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng cyl section › Malfunction
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 328 hours in all; 282 in this make and model; 81 in the last 90 days; 37 in the last 30 days; 278 as pilot in command; 97 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 21, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 4 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 0 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,592 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 17, 2018; 78 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 3,592 hours total
- Operator: Liberty University
The flight
- Departed from: LYH Lynchburg VA at 2:56 pm
- Destination: LYH Lynchburg VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 04, 7,100 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.45 inHg
- Observation at 2:54 pm from LYH
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
7 documents, released by the NTSB on November 18, 2019. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot-in-command Written Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Inspector Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Commonwealth of Virginia Report | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Photo Array | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Flight Path | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 14 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.