Cessna 172M accident near Coatesville, Pennsylvania, May 23, 1992
On May 23, 1992 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N733PG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Coatesville, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PASSENGERS INTERFERENCE WITH THE CONTROL YOKE, WHICH RESULTED IN THE AIRPLANE ENTERING AN UNUSUAL ATTITUDE, AND THE PILOT OVERSTRESSING THE WINGS DURING THE RECOVERY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 23, 1992 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Coatesville, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N733PG · registry record · serial 17268438
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS DEMONSTRATING A STALL, WITH FLAPS EXTENDED, TO THE PASSENGER WHO ABRUPTLY PUSHED THE CONTROL YOKE FORWARD. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, THE AIRPLANE WENT BEYOND VERTICAL AND DESCENDED FROM 3700 TO 1200 FT MSL BEFORE HE RECOVERED. THE PILOT LANDED SHORTLY AFTERWARDS. POST EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED, THE FLAPS, AND WINGS WERE SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED.
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
- Flight time: 448 hours in all; 132 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 338 as pilot in command; 48 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,235 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 15, 1992
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Civil Air Patrol
The flight
- Departed from: 40N at 1:45 pm
- Destination: 40N
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
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.
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.