Cessna 172N accident near Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, July 4, 2004
On July 4, 2004 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N10DJ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wellsboro, Pennsylvania (Grand Canyon 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 inadequate compensation for wind conditions and his failure to maintain directional control. A factor was the crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 2004 · about 9:00 pm local time · cases in 2004
- Place
- Wellsboro, Pennsylvania · Grand Canyon Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N10DJ · registry record · serial 17272248
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot entered the traffic pattern and executed a landing. After touchdown on runway 28, the airplane veered off the right side of the runway, then impacted a bail of hay, and came to a stop. According to a weather report from an airport 35 nautical miles northwest, the winds were from 160 degrees at 15 knots, gusting to 25 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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 371 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 342 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 4, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,064.8 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 16, 2004; 42.7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5G6 Galeton PA at 8:45 pm
- Destination: N14 Lumberton NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 3,600 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 15 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,300 ft; scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.86 inHg
- Observation at 5:10 pm from ELZ, 35 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N10DJ on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk 20,678 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,683 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M 418 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Grand Canyon Regional · nearest airport
- Flying W Airport · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Pennsylvania 1,834 since 1982 · 233 in the last ten years
- Pennsylvania 6,183 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/IAD04LA034.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.