Cessna 172 accident near Barre, Vermont, July 15, 2002
On July 15, 2002 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N43860, was substantially damaged in an accident near Barre, Vermont (Bailey Field). 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 airspeed during a go-around attempt, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and a subsequent impact with trees. A factor was the pilot's delayed initiation of the go-around.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 15, 2002 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Barre, Vermont · Bailey Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N43860 · registry record · serial R172-0124
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot decided to practice a simulated engine failure, to a landing, at a private airstrip. The airstrip was oriented east-west, with an uphill incline toward the east. The strip was 1,200 feet long and 50 feet wide, and takeoffs and landings could only be made to the east. According to the pilot, he performed a circling descent and prepared for a landing to the east. During the landing flare, the airplane was "pushed toward the trees" at the departure end of the runway, by a "quartering tailwind." The pilot initiated a go-around, but the airplane did not have enough airspeed to maintain flight, and it "stalled" into the trees. Winds were from 260 degrees at 3 knots.
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
- Flight time: 517 hours in all; 236 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 468 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 23, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,100 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2001; 100 hours since
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MPV Montpelier VT at 5:45 pm
- Destination: NONE Barre VT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09, 2,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,900 ft; scat at 3,600 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 5:51 pm from MPV, 3 miles away
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.