Cessna 182B accident near Hanover, Pennsylvania, September 22, 1996
On September 22, 1996, a Cessna 182B, registered N2731G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hanover, Pennsylvania (Hanover airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 planning/decision and failure to maintain clearance from obstacles during the landing roll. Related factors were: darkness, the lack of usable runway lights, and the road grading equipment parked 50 feet from the edge of the grass runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 22, 1996
- Place
- Hanover, Pennsylvania · Hanover · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182B · all 182Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2731G · no longer on the register · serial 52031
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot took off with four skydivers on board the airplane, and climbed to 10,000 feet. After the skydivers exited the airplane, the pilot returned to land at the departure airport. The pilot stated that after landing, the airplane impacted parked road grading equipment. He reported that it was a dark night and winds were calm when the accident occurred. An FAA inspector stated that the road grading equipment was parked approximately 50 feet south of the 100 foot wide grass runway. He also reported that only 4 runway lights were functioning at the time of the accident.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 2,700 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,764 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 4, 1996; 204 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L1B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 6N6 at 11:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 3,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.