Cessna 172P accident near Airville, Pennsylvania, September 22, 1997
On September 22, 1997 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N55221, was destroyed in an accident near Airville, Pennsylvania. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in a stall/mush and subsequent collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 22, 1997 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Airville, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N55221 · no longer on the register · serial 17275138
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
This was the first leg of the student pilot's first solo cross-country. The pilot had radioed the control tower that he was 10 miles southwest of the airport, and had requested a vector to the airport. He reported that the 'elevator felt mushy, but that it was no big deal.' There were no further transmissions from the pilot. According to radar data, the airplane's last 28 minutes 11 seconds consisted of numerous turns and significant changes of direction. The airplane impacted in a corn field, about 22 miles south of the airport. According to the pilot's log book, he had over 27 hours of total flight experience, which included 1 hour of solo flight experience. The last entry in his log book was 1 month prior to the accident, when he logged 0.3 hour dual. He also logged 0.6 hour solo flight experience 2 months prior to the accident. Examination of the wreckage did not disclose any anomalies with the airplane or the engine.
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: student
- Flight time: 29 hours in all; 24 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 2 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,795 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 28, 1997; 49 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,407 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JYO Leesburg VA at 2:45 pm
- Destination: LNS Lancaster PA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 18,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from MDT, 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.
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.