Cessna 172RG accident near Louisburg, North Carolina, April 23, 2025
On April 23, 2025 at about 9:03 pm local time, a 1980 Cessna 172RG, registered N6386V, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Louisburg, North Carolina (Triangle North Exec airport). It was a personal 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 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
- April 23, 2025 · about 9:03 pm local time
- Place
- Louisburg, North Carolina · Triangle North Exec · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG, built 1980 · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N6386V · registry record · serial 172RG0649
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On April 23, 2025, about 1703 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172RG, N6386V, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Louisburg, North Carolina. The commercial pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that he performed a preflight inspection of the airplane. During the inspection, he found water while sampling fuel from the fuel tanks. The pilot continued to sample fuel from the fuel tanks until no more water was found. He then rocked the wings to release any trapped water and sampled fuel from the fuel tanks again until there was no water found. He reported that the wing fuel tanks were about half full of fuel. The engine start and run-up were normal, with no abnormalities noted by the pilot. About 1702, the pilot entered the runway and applied full power for takeoff. With all engine indications normal, he released the brakes and began the takeoff roll. When the airplane reached an airspeed of 55 knots, the pilot increased the airplane’s pitch attitude and began climbing out at an airspeed 70 knots. When no usable runway remained, the pilot selected the landing gear to the up position, and he reported “the moment the landing pump switched on the engine lost power.” The pilot described the loss of power as a smooth reduction of power to idle, where the engine stayed. He selected the landing gear to the down position, reduced the throttle control, and attempted to land on the remaining runway and runoff area. After realizing he could not, he attempted to glide over an airport perimeter fence. During the glide, he applied full throttle, and the engine revved to about 1,900 rpm before reducing uncommanded again to idle. The landing gear impacted the perimeter fence, the horizontal stabilizer impacted a fence pole, and the airplane impacted a road near the airport perimeter, sliding off the road and into a field. The horizontal stabilizer sustained substantial damage during the accident sequence. The wreckage was retained for further examination.
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
- Loss of engine power (partial) during initial climb defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during initial climb
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during initial climb
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,611 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 21, 2025; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 5,498 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,400 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 5:00 pm from LHZ, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KLHZ 232100Z AUTO 07006KT 10SM SCT044 25/15 A3017 RMK AO2
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check 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.