Cessna 172M accident near Titusville, Pennsylvania, August 20, 2011
On August 20, 2011 at about 4:34 am local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N13126, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Titusville, Pennsylvania (Titusville Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor's improper decision to attempt a visual descent into instrument meteorological conditions while approaching the destination airport, which resulted in an in-flight collision with trees and terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 2011 · about 4:34 am local time
- Place
- Titusville, Pennsylvania · Titusville Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N13126 · no longer on the register · serial 17262516
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The instrument-rated flight instructor and student pilot were on a night visual flight rules cross-country flight that included landings at two other airports and a return to the original departure airport. The student pilot had obtained a preflight weather briefing that indicated that some local weather reporting stations were reporting marginal visibilities, likely due to ground fog. A postaccident weather study indicated that the weather conditions were likely to deteriorate further and become instrument meteorological conditions due to ground fog. Local law enforcement personnel were dispatched to the destination airport after citizens called the emergency operators and reported an airplane was circling the airport. A police officer who was unable to locate the airplane reported that a heavy fog was present and visibility was between 30 to 40 feet. Review of recorded radar data revealed the airplane flew over the destination airport at 2,700 feet above ground level (agl). The last radar return indicated the airplane had descended to 1,500 feet agl about 1 /2 mile south west of the destination airport. The airplane was located in the vicinity of that radar return. The flight instructor and student pilot likely encountered instrument meteorological conditions as they approached their original departure airport; however, they did not contact or request any assistance from air traffic controllers. Examination of the airplane revealed no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Preflight or dispatch event during prior to flight
- VFR encounter with IMC
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during maneuvering defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Below VFR minima › Decision related to condition
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Weather planning › Flight crew
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,600 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,440 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 31, 2011; 59 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming 0-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Titusville Aeroclub INC
The flight
- Departed from: LNN Willoughby OH
- Destination: 6GI Titusville PA
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:35 am from FKL, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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.