Skip to content

Atlas / NTSB / WPR18CA213

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event WPR18CA213

2018-07-14 Burlington, Washington, United States Airport · BVS None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N5202B

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

CESSNA AIRCRAFT CO 162

Seats / Engines

2 seats · 1 engine

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A68B8E

Registrant of record

RAINIER FLIGHT SERVICE LLC

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot’s failure to maintain pitch control during an aborted takeoff.

Factual narrative

The solo student pilot reported that he landed uneventfully and then taxied to the runup area. He called his flight instructor, opened a new flight plan, then taxied to the runway for departure. During the takeoff roll, about the time of rotation, he felt the airplane shutter. Subsequently he elected to abort the takeoff. During the aborted takeoff, the airplane porpoised and the nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. According to the student pilot there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The solo student pilot reported that he landed uneventfully and then taxied to the runup area. He called his flight instructor, opened a new flight plan, then taxied to the runway for departure. During the takeoff roll, about the time of rotation, he felt the airplane shudder. Subsequently, he chose to abort the takeoff. During the aborted takeoff, the airplane porpoised, and the nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The student reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student/instructed pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Pitch control-Not attained/maintained - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2018_WPR18CA213.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.