Cessna 172P accident near Doylestown, Pennsylvania, January 26, 2002
On January 26, 2002 at about 8:40 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N172P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Doylestown, Pennsylvania (Doylestown 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
pilot's failure to maintain clearance between the airplane and a parked fuel truck while taxing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 26, 2002 · about 8:40 pm local time
- Place
- Doylestown, Pennsylvania · Doylestown · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N172P · no longer on the register · serial 172-74572
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot had just landed after a solo flight and was taxing back to the fixed base operator when he attempted to pass a parked fuel truck. As he taxied passed the truck, the right wing clipped the truck's right rear view mirror. The airplane then pivoted to the right, and the spinner and propeller collided with the side of the truck. The student pilot reported a total of 27.9 flight hours in single-engine aircraft, of which 1.3 hours were solo. He also reported that there were no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane. When asked how this accident could have been prevented, the student pilot said: "Moving more away from the truck and paying more attention to where the truck is."
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: student
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,415.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 8, 2001
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DYL Doylestown PA at 8:30 pm
- Destination: DYL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 3,000 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 8:54 pm from DYL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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.