Cessna 172L accident near Brandy Station, Virginia, October 30, 1996
On October 30, 1996, a Cessna 172L, registered N7737G, was destroyed in an accident near Brandy Station, Virginia (Culpeper County airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the certificated flight instructor's failure to ensure that proper altitude/clearance was maintained above the terrain and trees, while on final approach. Darkness was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 30, 1996
- Place
- Brandy Station, Virginia · Culpeper County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172L · all 172Ls on the register
- Registration
- N7737G · no longer on the register · serial 17259437
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certificated flight instructor (CFI) and student pilot were practicing landings on a dark moonless night, when the airplane struck 80 foot high trees, 2,157 feet from the approach end of the runway. Examination of the airplane and engine did not disclose any evidence of mechanical malfunction. The Visual Approach Slope Indicator (VASI) for the runway was inspected after the accident; the VASI was determined to have provided a clearance of 96.51 feet above the trees at the accident site. The Airport Manager stated that the CFI had completed an instrument flight instructor check ride about 30 days before the accident. According to a pilot information form dated 17 months before the accident, the CFI had reported over 632 hours of airplane experience, which included 85 hours in make and model. This was the student's first night flight.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,400 hours in all; 85 in this make and model; 3,674 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,598 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 10, 1996; 83 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: W66 Warrenton VA at 10:16 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 4,002 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 160° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:45 pm from CHO, 42 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.