Cessna 172 accident near Greenville, Maine, March 2, 2017
On March 2, 2017 at about 9:30 pm local time, a 1960 Cessna 172, registered N7450X, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (from runway) near Greenville, Maine (Greenville 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 failure to maintain directional control while taxiing in gusting crosswind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 2, 2017 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Greenville, Maine · Greenville Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 B, built 1960 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N7450X · no longer on the register · serial 17247950
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, after a normal landing in gusting headwind conditions, he turned onto an intersecting runway, which resulted in gusting crosswind conditions. He added that he positioned the flight controls to compensate for the crosswind but that, after taxiing about 150 ft on the runway, the left wing lifted, and the airplane veered to the right and then nosed over on snow-covered terrain. The vertical stabilizer sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The automated weather observation station at the accident airport, about the time of the accident, recorded wind from 300° at 13 knots, gusting to 28 knots. The pilot reported that he was taxiing on runway 3.
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
- Other weather encounter during taxi (from runway)
- Loss of control on ground during taxi (from runway) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during taxi (from runway)
- Nose over/nose down during taxi (from runway)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Ability to respond/compensate
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Ability to respond/compensate
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Snowy/icy terrain › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 770 hours in all; 255 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 670 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 17, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,442 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 12, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-300-D (piston); 1,377 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OLD Old Town ME at 9:00 pm
- Destination: 3B1 Greenville ME
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 3,001 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 13 knots, gusting 28
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 16°F (-9°C), dew point 7°F (-14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.42 inHg
- Observation at 9:56 pm from KGNR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on May 9, 2017. 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 | Accident Photo (Courtesy of FAA) | 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.