Cessna 172R accident near Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, May 28, 2015
On May 28, 2015 at about 7:00 pm local time, a 1998 Cessna 172R, registered N984WU, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania (Beaver County airport). It was an instructional 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 student pilot's failure to maintain airplane attitude control during the landing, resulting in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 28, 2015 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania · Beaver County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172R R, built 1998 · all 172Rs on the register
- Registration
- N984WU · registry record · serial 17280510
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that upon the conclusion of his cross-country solo flight, the airplane landed hard and the nose wheel tire lost pressure. A post-accident inspection revealed substantial damage to the firewall. The student pilot reported that there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions 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
- Hard landing during landing defining event
- Abnormal runway contact during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not attained/maintained
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 36 hours in all; 36 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 4 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,224.1 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 21, 2015; 608 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 106 hours total
- Operator: Moore Aviation INC
The flight
- Departed from: GKJ Meadville PA at 6:30 pm
- Destination: BVI Beaver Falls PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 10, 4,501 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.27 inHg
- Observation at 6:47 pm from KBVI
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 August 10, 2015. 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 | Memorandum for Record (Student Pilot) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo 1 - Firewall (Photo Courtesy of Flight School) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo 2 - Firewall (Photo Courtesy of Flight School) | 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.