Cessna 182A accident near Moneta, Virginia, May 1, 2002
On May 1, 2002 at about 12:55 pm local time, a Cessna 182A, registered N5198D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Moneta, Virginia (Smith Mountain Lake 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
A slow leak of brake fluid from the right brake cylinder, which eventually resulted in a loss of right brake effectiveness.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 1, 2002 · about 12:55 pm local time
- Place
- Moneta, Virginia · Smith Mountain Lake · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182A · all 182As on the register
- Registration
- N5198D · registry record · serial 51298
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot had just landed, and made a left turn onto the "teardrop" taxiway. The right brake failed, and the airplane departed the taxiway, went into a ditch, and nosed over. Post-accident examination revealed that the right brake cylinder was out of fluid, and other than a small amount of fluid up on the cylinder shaft, there were no holes or leaks noted. The brake system had been last checked about 4 1/2 months earlier, during the airplane's latest annual inspection.
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: 56 hours in all; 38 in this make and model; 56 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,249.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 22, 2001; 40.1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Rocky Mount VA at 12:35 pm
- Destination: W91 Moneta VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 3,058 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 9,500 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 12:54 pm from LYH, 25 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.
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.