Cessna 152 accident near Warrenton, Virginia, June 30, 2001
On June 30, 2001 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N25846, was substantially damaged in an accident near Warrenton, Virginia (Warrenton-Fauquier 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 airplane's encounter with a deer during a touch and go.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 30, 2001 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Warrenton, Virginia · Warrenton-Fauquier · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N25846 · registry record · serial 15280815
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a touch and go, as the student pilot rotated the airplane for takeoff, a deer struck the airplane's left horizontal stabilizer. The left horizontal stabilizer buckled, and the left elevator was torn-off. The student pilot continued the takeoff and performed an uneventful emergency landing in a field adjacent to 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: student
- Flight time: 39 hours in all; 17 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 11 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,727 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 12, 2001; 33 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: W66 Warrenton VA at 8:50 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 4,103 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 1:55 pm from HEF, 14 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 N25846 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.