Cessna 172S accident near Hazleton, Pennsylvania, December 12, 2021
On December 12, 2021 at about 2:00 pm local time, a 2002 Cessna 172S, registered N215LP, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Hazleton, Pennsylvania (Hazleton Rgnl 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 failure to maintain proper airspeed on approach in tailwind conditions, which resulted in an extended touchdown, bounced landing, and runway excursion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 12, 2021 · about 2:00 pm local time · cases in 2021
- Place
- Hazleton, Pennsylvania · Hazleton Rgnl · cases near this airport · 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
- N215LP · registry record · serial 172S9215
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot landed with a tailwind and had a higher-than-normal approach speed. The airplane landed long, bounced, and went off the runway. The airplane struck a taxiway light resulting in substantial damage to the left horizontal stabilizer. The pilot reported that the airplane had no preimpact 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
- Landing area overshoot during landing defining event
- Abnormal runway contact during landing
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 326.4 hours in all; 248.7 in this make and model
- Last flight review: March 20, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,769.3 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 30, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming I0-360-L2A (piston); 4,032 hours total
- Operator: Infinity Flight Group
The flight
- Departed from: TTN Trenton NJ at 12:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 10, 5,001 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,800 ft
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 9:15 am from HZL
Weather report (METAR): SA 12/12/2021 14:15-> METAR KHZL 121415Z AUTO 29007KT 10SM SCT038 02/M05 A3011
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 4 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 – LH Horizontal Stabilizer (credit N. Bottomley)
Photo 2 - LH Horizontal Stabilizer (credit N. Bottomley)
Photo 3 – Airplane After Going off Runway (credit B. Hamby)
Photo 4 - Airplane After Going off Runway (credit B. Hamby)The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on January 25, 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | NTSB Summary of Email Statement - Dpe to NTSB | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photos of Airplane After Accident | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 4 | Photos of Damage | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 5 | Cell Phone Video 1 | MOV file | Download |
| 6 | Cell Phone Video 2 | MOV file | Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N215LP on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk 20,680 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming I0-360-L2A 2,646 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Hazleton Regional · nearest airport
- Trenton Mercer Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Pennsylvania 1,836 since 1982 · 235 in the last ten years
- Pennsylvania 6,188 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA22LA087.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.