Cessna 172N accident near Dyke, VA
On August 25, 1999, a Cessna 172N (airplane) was involved in an accident near Dyke, VA. 4 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 25, 1999
- Place
- Dyke, VA
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · Airplane
- Injuries
- 4 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 38.260°N, 78.571°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001212X19617
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On August 25, 1999, about 0940 Eastern Daylight Time, a Cessna 172N, N733DH, was destroyed when it impacted mountainous terrain near Dyke, Virginia. The certificated private pilot and three passengers were fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight plan was filed for the flight, which departed the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport (PHF), Newport News, Virginia, for the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport (SHD), Weyers Cave, Virginia. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The accident airplane had been rented from a flight school at Newport News, and the school's dispatcher stated that she first saw the pilot about 0800 on the day of the accident. The pilot said he was going to fly to Charlottesville, Virginia, and logged the airplane out accordingly, with a return time of 1700. The pilot told the dispatcher that he had checked the weather, that the clouds were at 3,100 feet, that he would be flying at 2,500 feet, and that "it's clear where I'm going." After the pilot had been outside preflighting the airplane for awhile, it began to rain. The dispatcher went out to find him, but found that the airplane had departed without the pilot finishing the sign-out process. The dispatcher advised the flight school owner of her concerns, and because the weather had deteriorated, began a telephone search for the airplane around 1230. She went off duty about 1400. The owner of the flight school continued the telephone search. In addition to finding that the airplane was not opera
Probable cause
The pilot's inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in his inability to see the rapidly rising terrain. A factor was the pilot's inaccurate evaluation of the weather.
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.
