Cessna 172M N73404

Summary

On 29 December 2000 at about 18:15 local time, a Cessna 172M registered N73404, operated by Blue Ridge Flight Center Inc., was involved in an accident near Farmville, 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

29 December 2000 at 18:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Farmville, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Farmville Regional Airport (FVX)

Coordinates

37.3575, -78.4378

Aircraft

Cessna 172M

Registration

N73404

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Blue Ridge Flight Center Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Farmville → Charlottesville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC01LA063

Nobody was injured.

the failure of the pilot to maintain directional control.

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 was on a solo cross-country flight, returning home. He also reported that he used the full length of the runway for takeoff, and the airplane departed the left side of the runway, and struck a cement block. The FAA reported the tracks departed the runway on the opposite side of an intersecting taxiway, about 1600 feet from the beginning of the runway. The tire tracks initially angled off about 20 to 30 degrees to the runway, and then shallowed to become parallel to the runway when the airplane struck a cement block. The tire tracks in the grass were estimated to be about 65 feet long and the cement block was located about 25 feet to the side of the runway. According to the owner's manual the airplane would have required about 630 feet to become airborne.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.