Cessna 172P accident near Langley Afb, VA
On March 1, 1998, a Cessna 172P (airplane) was involved in an accident near Langley Afb, VA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- March 1, 1998
- Place
- Langley Afb, VA
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 37.081°N, 76.371°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001211X09687
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On March 1, 1998, at 0936 eastern standard time, a Cessna 172P, N62082, was destroyed when it descended and collided with terrain and a building, while maneuvering at Langley Air Force Base (LFI), Virginia. The certificated commercial pilot and private pilot were fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the local personal flight that originated at LFI, at 0933. A visual flight rules flight plan was filed for the flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. At 0933:48, N62082 was cleared for takeoff from Runway 08 at LFI. At 0935:02, the pilot transmitted: "Langley tower this is 62082, uh...we're going to come back for landing...uh...the ceiling is lower than we thought." The tower controller acknowledged the call and instructed N62082 to report when it reached the base leg of the traffic pattern. The tower controller stated the airplane was over the departure end of Runway 08 when he acknowledged the radio call. He observed the airplane enter a climbing left turn and disappear from view. The controller said the radar display indicated the airplane was at 500 feet. The controller attempted to regain visual contact with the airplane by alternately scanning the radar display and the sky over the northern end of the airfield. At 0935:40, the controller heard unintelligible cries over the tower frequency. He stated: "A 'whoo' sound was made by the [aircraft]. I attempted communication with the [aircraft] on tower frequency and on VHF Emergency Frequency (Guard). I still could not physically see the [aircraft] and the target on the radar wen
Probable cause
The pilot's inadvertent VFR flight into IMC conditions, and the subsequent loss of aircraft control due to spatial disorientation. A factor in the accident was the low ceiling.
More accidents in VA
- Boeing 757-200, Sep 11, 2001
- Beech B99, Sep 23, 1985
- Beech 65, Sep 10, 1995
- Beech 200, Oct 24, 2004
- Piper PA-31-310, Nov 14, 1982
Browse: Virginia · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
