Cessna 172 accident near Mansfield, Massachusetts, February 23, 2019
On February 23, 2019 at about 5:25 pm local time, a 2002 Cessna 172, registered N224TA, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Mansfield, Massachusetts (Mansfield Municipal Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor's failure to maintain airplane control during initial climb after a touch-and-go landing, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 23, 2019 · about 5:25 pm local time
- Place
- Mansfield, Massachusetts · Mansfield Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 S, built 2002 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N224TA · no longer on the register · serial 172S9224
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After practicing maneuvers during the instructional flight, the flight instructor and student pilot approached the airport for landing. Witnesses and airport surveillance video indicated that the airplane entered the landing flare, but continued to float down the runway a significant distance, touching down about 2,800 ft down the 3,503-ft-long runway. The pilots then initiated a takeoff (touch-and-go). Although the published airport traffic pattern for the runway indicated left turns, the airplane performed a climb in a steep right bank before slowing and entering a spiraling decent toward a grass area near the airport terminal building. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. It is likely that the flight instructor allowed the airplane to exceed its critical angle of attack during a turning initial climb after a touch-and-go landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and impact with terrain. Although it could not be determined who was flying the airplane at the time of the accident, the flight instructor is ultimately responsible for the safety of the flight.
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 initial climb defining event
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during initial climb
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Not attained/maintained
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 386 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 66 in the last 90 days; 33 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: November 1, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
Dual student
- Flight time: 7 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,660 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 29, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 3,358 hours total
- Operator: New Horizon Aviation Inc
The flight
- Departed from: OWD Norwood MA at 4:25 pm
- Destination: 1B9 Mansfield MA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 3,503 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.40 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from OWD, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
13 documents, released by the NTSB on September 11, 2019. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Interview Summaries of Witnesses | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Excerpts from Flight Instructor Logbook | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Excerpt from Student Pilot Logbook | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Excerpts from Maintenance Records | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Weather Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Excerpt from FAA ATC Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | Photo Array | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Toxicological Reports | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 10 | Excerpt from Runway 32 Video Camera Recording (6.5MB Avi File) | AVI file | Download |
| 11 | Excerpt from Taxiway B Video Camera Recording (663K Avi File) | AVI file | Download |
| 12 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 13 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.