Cessna 172F accident near Cambridge, New York, May 5, 2012
On May 5, 2012 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172F, registered N5551R, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Cambridge, New York (Chapin Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s loss of airplane control during a takeoff in variable crosswind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 5, 2012 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Cambridge, New York · Chapin Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172F · all 172Fs on the register
- Registration
- N5551R · no longer on the register · serial 17253138
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot completed one takeoff and landing to a full stop on the 2,100-foot-long turf runway to observe the wind and "refresh" himself with the operation of the airplane. Two passengers then boarded the airplane for a local flight. The pilot taxied the airplane back to the runway and prepared to take off using a short-field takeoff technique. The airplane lifted off the runway after a takeoff roll of about 900 feet, and the pilot “crabbed” the airplane slightly right into the crosswind to track along the runway. About 30 feet above the runway, he leveled the airplane to “pick up speed” and tried to track the runway centerline. However, the airplane's nose landing gear impacted the ground and the airplane came to rest inverted, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage, both wings, and the empennage. Witnesses reported to the pilot that the airplane's tail lifted when the wind changed to a quartering tailwind during the takeoff, just before the nose landing gear impacted the ground.
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
- Loss of control in flight during takeoff defining event
- Abnormal runway contact during takeoff
- Nose over/nose down during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Effect on operation
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 177 hours in all; 177 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days; 127 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 12, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,525 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 15, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental Motors O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Cambridge Valley Flying Club INC
The flight
- Departed from: 1B8 Cambridge NY at 8:00 pm
- Destination: 1B8 Cambridge NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 2,100 ft by 63 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:54 pm from DDH, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.