Cessna 172 N53051

Summary

On 27 August 2018 at about 15:30 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N53051, operated by AV-ED Flight School- Winchester, LLC, was involved in an accident near Winchester, Virginia, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 August 2018 at 15:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Winchester, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Winchester Rgnl (OKV)

Coordinates

39.1436, -78.1444

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N53051

Category

Airplane

Year built

1981

Engines

1

Operator

AV-ED Flight School- Winchester, LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Winchester → Winchester

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA18CA513

Nobody was injured.

The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the takeoff roll.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot reported that he completed a touch-and-go landing and applied full power to increase the airplane's ground speed. During the takeoff roll, the engine power increased, and the airplane drifted to the left side of the runway. The student applied full right rudder, but it was ineffective. He then reduced the engine power to idle and applied brakes, but the airplane exited the left side of the runway, collided with a drainage culvert, and then came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing lift strut, the vertical stabilizer, and the rudder. The student reported that he thought that a mechanical malfunction of the rudder system might have occurred before the accident sequence. However, Federal Aviation Administration aviation safety inspectors reported that, during a postaccident airplane examination, the rudder system was operational, and rudder control continuity was established.    

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.