Cessna 172N accident near Gaithersburg, Maryland, January 27, 1990
On January 27, 1990 at about 8:55 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N75946, was destroyed in an accident near Gaithersburg, Maryland (Montgomery County airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INADEQUATE SUPERVISION BY THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT (CFI), WHICH RESULTED IN FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AIRSPEED AND A SUBSEQUENT STALL. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: GUSTY/CROSSWIND CONDITIONS, THE STUDENT PILOT'S INADEQUATE COMPENSATION FOR WIND CONDITIONS AND FAILURE TO MAINTAIN RUNWAY ALIGNMENT, AND THE CFI'S LACK OF TOTAL EXPERIENCE AS AN INSTRUCTOR PILOT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 27, 1990 · about 8:55 pm local time
- Place
- Gaithersburg, Maryland · Montgomery County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N75946 · no longer on the register · serial 17268062
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE DUAL STUDENT PLT WAS ATTEMPTING HIS FIRST LNDG IN A CESSNA 172. ALL OF HIS PREVIOUS FLTS WERE IN CESSNA 150. THE INSTRUCTOR PLT (CFI) STATED HE WAS GOING TO EVALUATE THE LNDG & DETERMINE IF THE STUDENT WAS TO COUNTINUE WITH MORE LNDGS. ACCORDING TO THE CFI & STUDENT, WIND GUSTS WERE OCCURRING. THE STUDENT STATED THAT DURING THE APPROACH, THE FLAPS WERE SET AT 30 DEGREES & THE AIRSPEED WAS ABOUT 60 KTS. HE STATED THAT HE 'CRABBED' INTO THE WIND, & WHEN HE STARTED THE LANDING FLARE, THE ACFT DRIFTED LEFT OF THE RWY & THE STALL WARNING HORN SOUNDED. THE CFI TOOK CONTROL OF THE ACFT & TRIED TO CORRECT THE SITUATION. HOWEVER, THE ACFT SUBSEQUENTLY ROLLED ABRUPTLY TO THE LEFT & HIT THE GROUND WITH FIRST THE LEFT WING, THEN THE NOSE.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 356 hours in all; 290 in this make and model; 82 in the last 90 days; 55 in the last 30 days; 136 as pilot in command; 66 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,446 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 19, 1990; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Montgomery Aviation LTD.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 4,196 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from IAD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.
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.