Cessna 172P accident near Leesburg, Virginia, July 8, 1994
On July 8, 1994 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N63021, was destroyed in an accident near Leesburg, Virginia (Leesburg 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 student pilot's failure to attain adequate airpseed during an aborted landing which resulted in an inadvertent stall and collision with the ground. A factor is the the student pilot's inexperience.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 8, 1994 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Leesburg, Virginia · Leesburg Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N63021 · no longer on the register · serial 17275381
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE RAN OFF THE SIDE OF THE RUNWAY DURING AN ABORTED LANDING AND NOSED DOWN ON THE ADJACENT GRASS. ACCORDING TO THE STUDENT PILOT, 'ONCE I TOUCHED DOWN, THE PLANE TURNED TO TH LEFT. THINKING I WAS STILL IN THE AIR FLYING, I ADDED POWER TO GO AROUND. IN THE PROCESS, THE PLANE WENT OFF THE RUNWAY, ACROSS THE GRASS, AND HIT THE TAXIWAY. SO I PULLED BACK ON THE WHEEL, I STALLED THE PLANE, AND I ENDED UP IN THE GRASS, NOSE DOWN.' THE PILOT REPORTED NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION.
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
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 47 hours in all; 47 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 9 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,833 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 2, 1994; 77 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Av-Ed Flight School, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: CHO Charlottesville VA at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 17, 5,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 5 knots, gusting 8
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.