Cessna 172M accident near Mansfield, Massachusetts, September 8, 2007
On September 8, 2007 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N19952, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mansfield, Massachusetts (Mansfield Muni). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper use of wing flaps during takeoff, which resulted in reduced climb performance and a subsequent stall. Contributing to the accident was the exceedance of the airplane's maximum gross weight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 8, 2007 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Mansfield, Massachusetts · Mansfield Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N19952 · no longer on the register · serial 17260882
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A review of a video recording of the accident showed the airplane wavering during climb out, in a nose-high attitude, and beginning a turn to the left. The airplane reached an approximate altitude of 100 feet before increasing the turn to approximately 60 degrees. The airplane then appears to pitch nose down to a sharp roll to the left and impacts the ground. The National Transportation Safety Board's Vehicle Recorder Division Audio Laboratory conducted a sound spectrum study on video recording, which revealed that the fixed pitch propeller was spinning at approximately 2,340 RPM. During examination of wreckage it was discovered that the flaps were deployed at 10 degrees, and the airplane was about 64 lbs over the gross weight limit. The pilot's miscalculation of the gross weight limit would have resulted in a higher stall speed.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 74 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 4 in the last 30 days; 30 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,952 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 1, 2007; 83 hours since
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1B9 Mansfield MA at 2:30 pm
- Destination: 1B9 Mansfield MA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 3,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 2:52 pm from TAN, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.