Cessna 172N accident near Factoryville, Pennsylvania, June 20, 1995
On June 20, 1995 at about 11:39 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N4876F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Factoryville, Pennsylvania (Seamans Field). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the loss of engine power for undetermined reasons, and the subsequent hard landing by the student pilot.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 20, 1995 · about 11:39 pm local time
- Place
- Factoryville, Pennsylvania · Seamans Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N4876F · registry record · serial 17273094
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that during the supervised solo instructional flight he had completed one touch and go landing and one landing to a full stop, without incident. He stated that when the airplane was about 25 to 30 feet above the ground on the third takeoff, the engine sputtered and he was unable to maintain altitude. The student pilot stated that he made a '...bouncy landing...' and the airplane veered off the runway, and came to a full stop in a grassy field. Postaccident examination revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction.
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: student
- Flight time: 94 hours in all; 94 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 10 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,753 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 28, 1995; 65 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,307 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 9N3 at 11:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 2,500 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Observation at 10:50 pm from AVP, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N4876F the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.