Cessna 172F accident near Hancock, Maryland, January 2, 1983
On January 2, 1983 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172F, registered N8515U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hancock, Maryland (Potomac Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 2, 1983 · about 4:45 pm local time · cases in 1983
- Place
- Hancock, Maryland · Potomac Airpark · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172F · all 172Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8515U · no longer on the register · serial 172-52415
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH THE TOP TWO WIRES OF A POWERLINE DURING A LOW ALTITUDE SIGHT-SEEING FLIGHT ALONG THE POTOMAC RIVER. THE PILOT STATED HE WAS MAINTAINING VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE GROUND SHOULD AN EMERGENCY LANDING BECOME NECESSARY. HE WAS STAYING HIGH ENOUGH FOR CLEARANCE OF THE TREES. HE STATED THAT APPARENTLY THE TERRAIN WAS GETTING HIGHER WITHOUT HIS AWARENESS AND SUDDENLY THE WIRES BECAME VISIBLE JUST BEFORE THE COLLISION. ONE WIRE CONTACTED THE LANDING GEAR AND THE ACFT PITCHED DOWN OUT OF CONTROL AND CRASHED ON A ROCKY LEDGE ON AN ISLAND IN THE RIVER. THE FREE END OF ONE OF THE WIRES RECOILED ONTO HIGHWAY I-70 AND STRUCK TWO CARS CAUSING MINOR INJURIES TO 2 PERSONS.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 501 hours in all; 388 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 393 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,822 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 1982; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: W35 Hancock MD at 4:42 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; not recorded at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:00 pm from HGR, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N8515U: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk 20,678 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,683 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-300-D 31 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Potomac Airpark · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Maryland 836 since 1982 · 110 in the last ten years
- Maryland 2,348 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL83FIG03.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.