Cessna 172N accident near Fredericksburg, Virginia, May 24, 1994
On May 24, 1994 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N737SE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fredericksburg, Virginia (Shannon airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's premature lift-off, resulting in an inadvertent stall/mush back onto the runway, and the pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the aborted takeoff, which resulted in the airplane veering off the runway and colliding with a dirt bank. A factor in this accident was the pilot's lack of recent flying experience.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 24, 1994 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Fredericksburg, Virginia · Shannon
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N737SE · registry record · serial 1726933
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS PLANNING TO DEPART THE AIRPORT FOR A LOCAL FLIGHT. THE HARD SURFACE RUNWAY AT THE AIRPORT WAS CLOSED FOR MAINTENANCE, AND THE 1,500 FOOT GRASS RUNWAY WAS THE ACTIVE RUNWAY. THE PILOT LINED UP ON THE GRASS RUNWAY, APPLIED POWER AND BEGAN THE TAKEOFF ROLL FOR A SOFT FIELD TAKEOFF. THE PILOT STATED THAT WHILE HOLDING BACK PRESSURE ON THE YOKE THE AIRPLANE LIFTED OFF THE RUNWAY NORMALLY. HE THEN ALLOWED THE AIRPLANE TO ACCELERATE TO 59 KNOTS, WHERE HE THEN ROTATED THE NOSE UP FOR CLIMB OUT. THE PILOT STATED AT THAT POINT THE AIRPLANE SEEMED TO SETTLE BACK TO THE RUNWAY WHERE HE ABORTED THE TAKEOFF. THE AIRPLANE THEN VEERED TO THE LEFT, DEPARTED THE RUNWAY, AND COLLIDED WITH A DIRT BANK. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELED BY THE AIRPLANE WAS ABOUT 500 FEET, FROM INITIAL POWER TO DEPARTURE OFF THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT'S OPERATING HANDBOOK CALLED FOR A TAKEOFF GROUND ROLL OF ABOUT 1100 FEET. THE PILOT HAD FOUR TENTHS OF AN HOUR FLIGHT EXPERIENCE IN THE LAST 90 DAYS.
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: 148 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,608 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 8, 1993; 81 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EZF at 5:00 pm
- Destination: EZF VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 1,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:51 pm from RIC, 50 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.