Cessna 172 accident near Winchester, Virginia, August 27, 2018
On August 27, 2018 at about 3:30 pm local time, a 1981 Cessna 172, registered N53051, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Winchester, Virginia (Winchester Rgnl 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 student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the takeoff roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 27, 2018 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Winchester, Virginia · Winchester Rgnl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 P, built 1981 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N53051 · no longer on the register · serial 17274673
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that he completed a touch-and-go landing and applied full power to increase the airplane's ground speed. During the takeoff roll, the engine power increased, and the airplane drifted to the left side of the runway. The student applied full right rudder, but it was ineffective. He then reduced the engine power to idle and applied brakes, but the airplane exited the left side of the runway, collided with a drainage culvert, and then came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing lift strut, the vertical stabilizer, and the rudder. The student reported that he thought that a mechanical malfunction of the rudder system might have occurred before the accident sequence. However, Federal Aviation Administration aviation safety inspectors reported that, during a postaccident airplane examination, the rudder system was operational, and rudder control continuity was established.
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 control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing (landing roll)
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › (general) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 17 hours in all; 17 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 2 as pilot in command; 16 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,049.7 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 27, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 12,096 hours total
- Operator: Av-Ed Flight School- Winchester, LLC
The flight
- Departed from: OKV Winchester VA at 3:20 pm
- Destination: OKV Winchester VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 5,498 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,500 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 3:15 pm from KOKV
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on April 17, 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo | PDF, 1 page | 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.