Cessna 172H accident near Rainelle, West Virginia, July 16, 2000
On July 16, 2000 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172H, registered N1748F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rainelle, West Virginia (Rainelle Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain a proper decent rate. A factor was the up-sloping runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 2000 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Rainelle, West Virginia · Rainelle Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172H · all 172Hs on the register
- Registration
- N1748F · registry record · serial 17255143
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
As the airplane was landing on an upward sloping turf runway, the pilot selected full flaps, and airplane started to sink. Power was added to compensate; however, the nose wheel impacted the slope and separated from the fuselage. The airplane bounced back into the air, continued down the runway, and touched down again. The nose section of the airplane dug into the turf before the airplane slid to a stop. According to a passenger, the airplane was coming over the 'last mountain,' when he felt the plane drop. The pilot then attempted to pull up, but was unable to, and the plane hit the ground and bounced. A second passenger, who was seated in the aft right seat of the airplane, stated, 'it felt like the plane lost lift and hit hard on the landing gear.' The pilot stated that it was his first landing at the airport.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 622 hours in all; 372 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 547 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,719 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 10, 2000; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,393 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: I18 Ravenswood WV at 5:15 pm
- Destination: 9W4
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 3,300 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:45 pm from LWB, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N1748F 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.