Aviat A-1 accident near Cherry Point, North Carolina, September 21, 2002
On September 21, 2002 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Aviat A-1, registered N6QR, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cherry Point, North Carolina (Cherry Point Mcas/Cunningham 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 pilot misjudged the landing flare, resulting in a hard landing, an inadvertent ground loop, and the subsequent impact with the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 21, 2002 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Cherry Point, North Carolina · Cherry Point Mcas/Cunningham · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aviat A-1
- Registration
- N6QR · no longer on the register · serial 1384
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After landing on runway 32L, a 9,000-foot runway, as the fourth airplane in a group of four other airplanes to land, the pilot flared slightly high resulting in a bounce. The airplane ground looped, the left main landing gear collapsed, and the left wing contacted the runway.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,320 hours in all; 105 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1P (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MQI Manteo NC
- Destination: NKT Cherry Point NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32L
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N6QR the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.