Cessna 172 accident near Midland, Ohio, August 3, 1996
On August 3, 1996 at about 1:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N12141, was substantially damaged in an accident near Midland, Ohio. 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 attain adequate alignment with the runway and to maintain adequate terrain clearance during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 3, 1996 · about 1:45 pm local time
- Place
- Midland, Ohio · 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
- N12141 · registry record · serial 17261837
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during landing on a private airstrip the aircraft veered left despite corrective action. He saw a ditch in the path of the aircraft so he pulled on the control wheel and the aircraft traveled over the ditch and collided with an embankment. Examination of the accident site revealed the grass/dirt runway was 39.5 feet wide and cornfields were on both side of the 3,000-foot long runway with cornstalks alongside the runway. Further inspection revealed the aircraft landed left of the unmarked centerline of the runway. According to the aircraft owner's manual, the wingspan is about 36 feet wide.
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: 440 hours in all; 315 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 368 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,786 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 16, 1995; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Martinsville OH at 1:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 3,000 ft by 39 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:00 pm from DAY, 40 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.