Cessna 172E accident near Leesburg, Virginia, May 23, 2007
On May 23, 2007 at about 8:55 pm local time, a Cessna 172E, registered N3982S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Leesburg, Virginia (Leesburg Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power that resulted from the failure of an exhaust valve rocker arm during cruise.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 23, 2007 · about 8:55 pm local time
- Place
- Leesburg, Virginia · Leesburg Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172E · all 172Es on the register
- Registration
- N3982S · no longer on the register · serial 17251182
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was relocating a Cessna 172E for the airplane's annual maintenance inspection. During the flight, the engine suffered a partial loss of power and began to "shake and misfire violently." The pilot then attempted to control the engine by adjusting the throttle and mixture controls, without result. As the airplane descended, the pilot looked for a place to land and spotted an open field. After turning final, he extended his wing flaps to the 40-degree position and touched down. During the emergency landing the airplane approached a ditch. The pilot attempted to get over the ditch by raising the flaps, but the airplane struck the far side of the ditch. During a postaccident examination of the engine, it was discovered that the No.2 cylinder's exhaust valve rocker arm was fractured and had separated into two parts. The initial fracture on the exhaust valve rocker arm was on the push rod side of the arm. This fracture had features indicative of overstress. The fracture on the valve side of the arm was secondary to the overstress fracture on the push rod side. The fatigue cracking at this location appeared to be the result of bending loads generated after the fracture on the push rod side was created. The fracture on the push rod side of the arm was generated from some type of high load event, possibly during an overhaul 34.8 hours prior to the accident. The pilot/owner had purchased one of the cylinders on "eBay," and there were discrepancies in the engine maintenance records.
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: 236 hours in all; 53 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 236 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,017.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 18, 2006; 6.9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JYO Leesburg VA at 8:55 pm
- Destination: CJR Culpeper VA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 17, 5,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.37 inHg
- Observation at 9:00 pm from JYO, 4 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.