Cessna 172 accident near Tyrone, Pennsylvania, May 1, 2019
On May 1, 2019 at about 4:51 pm local time, a 1976 Cessna 172, registered N733KZ, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Tyrone, Pennsylvania. It was a personal 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 pilot’s continued visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions, resulting in controlled flight into trees and terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 1, 2019 · about 4:51 pm local time
- Place
- Tyrone, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 N, built 1976 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N733KZ · no longer on the register · serial 17268363
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
**This report was modified on June 23, 2021. Please see the public docket for this investigation to view the original report.** The pilot was conducting a personal, cross-country flight with one passenger onboard. The pilot received a formal preflight weather briefing, which warned of instrument and marginal visual meteorological conditions as well as mountain obscuration conditions due to clouds near the departure airport and along the airplane’s expected route of flight. Although the pilot had filed an instrument flight rules flight plan for the flight, he advised air traffic control at the departure airport that he would be departing under visual flight rules (VFR). Flight track and weather data showed that, after departure, the airplane proceeded toward mountainous terrain that was likely obscured by clouds. A witness near the accident site reported seeing the airplane flying below the clouds (fog) before losing sight of it behind trees and then hearing the impact. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. Based on the damage signatures displayed by the wreckage and trees surrounding the accident site, it is likely that the airplane impacted trees and terrain in a relatively level, slightly right wing down flight attitude and that the engine was producing power at the time of the impact. Although the pilot held an instrument rating, he did not meet the necessary currency requirements to undertake an instrument flight rules flight. It is likely that, after departing, the pilot encountered deteriorating weather conditions that obscured the mountainous terrain, and resulted in the pilot’s controlled flight into terrain.
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
- VFR encounter with IMC during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during enroute (cruise)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Low ceiling › Decision related to condition
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 583 hours in all; 543 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,272.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 15, 2019; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2G (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: UNV State College PA at 4:40 pm
- Destination: BTP Butler PA
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.27 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from UNV, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
21 documents, released by the NTSB on April 29, 2021. 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.
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.