Cessna 172M accident near Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, August 7, 2002
On August 7, 2002 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N1727V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania (Pocono Mountains Municipal 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 pilot's improper flare, which resulted 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
- August 7, 2002 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania · Pocono Mountains Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N1727V · no longer on the register · serial 17263727
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the student pilot's landing, the nose wheel hit the runway first, and the airplane porpoised three times before coming to a full stop. The student pilot then flew to another airport where he landed uneventfully and taxied for fuel. Upon leaving the airplane, he noticed oil on the cowling. A subsequent examination revealed that the nose strut metering piston was damaged, the attachment bolt was sheared, and the firewall was buckled.
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
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 76 hours in all; 76 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 8 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,700 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 10, 2002; 57 hours since
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DXR Danbury CT at 1:00 pm
- Destination: MPO Mount Pocono PA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 31, 3,948 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 8,500 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 1:56 pm from MPO
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.
Other NTSB records under N1727V 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.