Cessna 172 N1537U

Summary

On 26 August 2018 at about 20:10 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N1537U, operated by Epix Aviation, was involved in an accident near New Kent, Virginia, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

26 August 2018 at 20:10

Classification

Accident

Location

New Kent, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

New Kent County (W96)

Coordinates

37.5014, -77.1261

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N1537U

Category

Airplane

Year built

1976

Engines

1

Operator

Epix Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Norfolk → New Kent

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA18LA233

1 person was seriously injured.

The student pilot’s loss of airplane control during a go-around.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot was on the first leg of a solo cross-country flight. A witness at the destination airport reported that he heard loud “engine noise,” looked up, and then saw the airplane about midfield in a steep, left descending turn with the “nose about 40° down.” The airplane then descended out of his view behind a hangar, and shortly thereafter, he heard the sound of impact. Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane had struck a power line about 700 ft left of the runway centerline at midfield, impacted terrain and three different sections of fencing, and then came to rest nose down. During postaccident examination of the airplane, the throttle control was found in the full-forward position, and the pitch trim was found in a slightly nose-down position. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. According to the flight school owner, a flight school policy prohibited students from conducting touch-and-go landings on solo cross-country flights. Given this policy and the postaccident throttle position, it is likely that the student was conducting a go-around and that he lost airplane control during the initial climb.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.