Cessna 172S accident near Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, June 25, 2021
On June 25, 2021 at about 8:00 pm local time, a 2002 Cessna 172S, registered N5185U, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania (Pocono Mountains Muni airport). It was a personal 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 pilot’s loss of aircraft control following a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 25, 2021 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania · Pocono Mountains Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S, built 2002 · all 172Ss on the register
- Registration
- N5185U · registry record · serial 172S9059
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot completed the approach to her home airport with a right crosswind correction applied. She explained that the right main landing gear touched down first, the airplane bounced, and the airplane yawed to its left. The pilot said the airplane did not respond to her control inputs to realign with the landing runway, and that she did not abort the landing after the runway excursion because there were trees to the airplane’s immediate front. The airplane came to rest upright in the grass apron on the runway’s left side. The pilot was unhurt, and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall and nose landing gear mount structure. The damage to the structure was consistent with an aerodynamic stall and hard landing on the nose landing gear. A post-accident examination of the airplane by an FAA aviation safety inspector revealed flight control continuity from the flight controls to all flight control surfaces.
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
- Runway excursion during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 133 hours in all; 133 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 21 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,360 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 27, 2021; 92 hours since
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 1,082 hours total
- Operator: Moyer Aviation INC
The flight
- Departed from: WBW Wilkes-Barre PA at 7:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13/3, 5,001 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 8 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Observation at 4:00 pm from KMPO
Weather report (METAR): KMPO 251953Z AUTO 18008G16KT 10SM CLR 22/11 A3029 RMK AO2 SLP257 T02220106
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on April 29, 2022. 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, 8 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Inspector Statment | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Inspector's Statement (Airworthiness) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo Array | PDF, 2 pages | 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.