Cessna 172M accident near Farmville, Virginia, December 29, 2000
On December 29, 2000 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N73404, was substantially damaged in an accident near Farmville, Virginia (Farmville Regional 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the failure of the pilot to maintain directional control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 29, 2000 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Farmville, Virginia · Farmville Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N73404 · no longer on the register · serial 17267433
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that he was on a solo cross-country flight, returning home. He also reported that he used the full length of the runway for takeoff, and the airplane departed the left side of the runway, and struck a cement block. The FAA reported the tracks departed the runway on the opposite side of an intersecting taxiway, about 1600 feet from the beginning of the runway. The tire tracks initially angled off about 20 to 30 degrees to the runway, and then shallowed to become parallel to the runway when the airplane struck a cement block. The tire tracks in the grass were estimated to be about 65 feet long and the cement block was located about 25 feet to the side of the runway. According to the owner's manual the airplane would have required about 630 feet to become airborne.
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: student
- Flight time: 42 hours in all; 42 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 8 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,027 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 7, 2000; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Blue Ridge Flight Center Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: FVX Farmville VA at 6:15 pm
- Destination: CHO Charlottesville VA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 03, 4,400 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 6:01 pm from FVX
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.
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.