Cessna 172S accident near Plainville, Connecticut, August 17, 2002
On August 17, 2002 at about 3:29 pm local time, a Cessna 172S, registered N35073, was destroyed in an accident near Plainville, Connecticut (Robertson Field Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An in-flight engine compartment fire of unknown origin, and a loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. Also causal, was the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during a turn back to the airfield, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and subsequent impact with the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 17, 2002 · about 3:29 pm local time
- Place
- Plainville, Connecticut · Robertson Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S · all 172Ss on the register
- Registration
- N35073 · no longer on the register · serial 172S8875
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Several witnesses observed black smoke trailing the airplane immediately after takeoff, and one witness saw a "small orange ball" immediately behind the propeller. One witness also noticed that the engine noise had changed, as if the engine had experienced a power reduction, another heard the engine "cut-out," and a third heard the engine "sputter." About 400 feet, a nose-high, left turn was initiated back towards the airport, and the airplane subsequently "banked steeply downward" until it impacted the ground. The wreckage path was about 70 feet in length. Due to the severity of a post-impact fire, the origin of the in-flight fire and loss of engine power could not be determined.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 97 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 27, 2002; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire in flight and on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 4B8 Plainville CT at 3:28 pm
- Destination: MTP Montauk NY
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from HFD, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N35073 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.