Cessna 172E accident near Muncy Valley, Pennsylvania, June 10, 1995
On June 10, 1995 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172E, registered N3070U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Muncy Valley, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the non-instrument rated pilot's failure to maintain clearance from terrain after inadvertently entering instrument meteorological conditions. The weather conditions (haze and fog) were a factor in the accident.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 10, 1995 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Muncy Valley, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172E · all 172Es on the register
- Registration
- N3070U · no longer on the register · serial 172-50670
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING CLIMB TO CRUISE, THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN AT AN ELEVATION OF 2,400 FEET MSL. THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PRIVATE PILOT STATED THAT HE RECEIVED A FSS WEATHER BRIEFING ABOUT 90 MINUTES PRIOR TO DEPARTURE AND THOUGHT THE WEATHER TO THE FLIGHT'S INTENDED DESTINATION WAS VMC. HE STATED THAT WHILE CLIMBING TO CRUISE, THE AIRPLANE ENTERED INTO FOG AND HAZE. THE PILOT DECIDED TO RETURN TO THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT, AND INITIATED A CLIMB '...FOR SAFETY... .' DURING THE CLIMBING 180 DEGREE TURN, THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH TREES.
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: 285 hours in all; 235 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 235 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,542 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 26, 1994; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,302 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N27 Towanda PA at 3:40 pm
- Destination: IPT Williamsport PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from IPT, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.