N89074

On August 1, 1998, at 1410 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 152, N89074, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain during the takeoff roll at the Culpeper County Airport, Culpeper, Virginia. The certificated student pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed. The local, instructional flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

According to the pilot, as he began the takeoff roll on runway 4, the airplane started to yaw to the left. He said the throttle was at full power, and he corrected with right rudder, but the airplane continued off the left side of the runway, onto the grass, struck a ditch and nosed over.

The pilot reported over 30 hours of total flight experience, including 17 hours in make and model, and 7 hours of solo flight experience. He also reported that there was no mechanical malfunction with the airplane or the engine. The reported weather at the time of the accident was winds from 020 at 10 knots with wind gusts to 14 knots.