Cessna 172N accident near Tarboro, North Carolina, August 25, 2002
On August 25, 2002 at about 2:05 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N2291E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tarboro, North Carolina (Tarboro-Edgecombe airport). It was an instructional 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the solo student to maintain directional control of the airplane during the takeoff roll/run which resulted in the airplane veering off the runway and impacting trees, incurring substantial damage.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 25, 2002 · about 2:05 pm local time
- Place
- Tarboro, North Carolina · Tarboro-Edgecombe · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N2291E · registry record · serial 17271224
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student stated that he was performing a short cross-country flight, and during his approach to land he felt that he was a little too high, so he elected to perform a go-around. He said he then made two subsequent approaches to land and performed go-arounds each time because he felt that he was too high, and on his final attempt he was lower, and landed the airplane about 1/3 of the distance down the runway from the approach end. He said that during the landing rollout he then turned the carburetor heat off, but forgot to raise the flaps, and after applying full power to take off, the airplane veered sharply to the left, exiting the runway and subsequently impacted trees incurring damage. Prior to the accident, there had been no mechanical failure or malfunction to the airplane or any of its systems.
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
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 22 hours in all; 22 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,277 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 13, 2002; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Textron Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Wayne Aviation Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: GWW Greensboro NC at 1:25 pm
- Destination: ETC Tarboro NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09, 4,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 1,400 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 2:21 pm from RWI, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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 N2291E the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number MIA02LA158.