Cessna 172 accident near Ridgeway, Virginia, April 22, 2024
On April 22, 2024 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N5645T, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Ridgeway, Virginia (Pace Airport). It was a personal 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 pilot's failure to attain a proper touchdown point while landing, which resulted in a runway overrun.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 22, 2024 · about 5:00 pm local time · cases in 2024
- Place
- Ridgeway, Virginia · Pace Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 E · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N5645T · registry record · serial 17251545
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was flying in the airport traffic pattern and was landing on a 3,000-ft-long turf runway. The pilot stated that he “landed long” and that the airplane subsequently overran the departure end of the runway. The airplane’s wings, fuselage, and empennage were substantially damaged during the runway overrun. The pilot reported that there were not preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded a normal operation.
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
- Landing area overshoot during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,929 hours in all; 1,051 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 1,803 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 29, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,806 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 24, 2024; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 D (piston); 3,806 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 3,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: vv at 10,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 20°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:00 pm from MTV, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Forward view of aircraft at wreckage site.
Photograph 2 – Right side view of crashed airplaneThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on August 30, 2024. 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 | Memorandum for Record - FAA Inspector Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Investigative Photos | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N5645T on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk 20,693 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,678 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-300 D 31 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Pace Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Virginia 1,361 since 1982 · 228 in the last ten years
- Virginia 5,973 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA24LA189.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.