Cessna 172P N54576

Summary

On 20 December 2025 at about 19:15 local time, a Cessna 172P registered N54576, operated by Rick Aviation Inc, was involved in an accident near Browns Corner, Virginia, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause has been published yet; this accident is still under investigation.

Date

20 December 2025 at 19:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Browns Corner, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

New Kent County (W96)

Coordinates

37.5034, -77.1077

Aircraft

Cessna 172P

Registration

N54576

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Rick Aviation Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Quinton → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

NTSB number

ERA26LA073

Nobody was injured.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. The investigation is still open; a final report usually follows one to two years after the accident.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

On December 20, 2025, at 1415 eastern standard time, a Cessna 172P airplane, N54576, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Quinton, Virginia. The private pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot was operating out of New Kent County Airport (W96) Quinton, Virginia and reported that the preflight inspection, engine run-up, and taxi were normal. He performed several touch-and-go landings that were uneventful. Shortly after takeoff, as the airplane was climbing through 500 ft above ground level (agl), the engine rpm began to fluctuate. The pilot further described that, the engine did not “sputter,” but the rpm was “abnormal.” The pilot applied carburetor heat and attempted to troubleshoot the irregularity without success. As the airplane reached about 650 ft agl, it stopped climbing and began to lose altitude and airspeed. The pilot decreased the airplane’s pitch, established best glide speed, and identified an open field for a forced landing. While maneuvering on final approach to the field, the pilot realized that the field was very hilly and bordered with trees. The pilot attempted to make slight turns to increase the chances of a successful landing, but in the process, the airplane lost too much airspeed. Unable to make additional adjustments due to the low airspeed and altitude, the pilot fully extended the flaps and intentionally “planted” the landing gear hard into the mud so that the airplane would stop before impacting the trees. After touchdown, the landing gear created deep gouges in the field for about 100 ft before the airplane rolled into the tree line and came to rest. The hard landing and impact with the trees resulted in substantial damage to the wings and fuselage; the right outboard wing was fractured downward, both wing struts were damaged, and the engine compartment was canted. The propeller and spinner were largely intact and did not exhibit any chordwise scraping or leading edge gouges. The airplane was recovered and retained for further examination.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.