Cessna 172M accident near Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, January 4, 1998
On January 4, 1998 at about 6:55 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N5135R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Blue Bell, Pennsylvania (Wings Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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 the proper touchdown point, and his failure to make a go-around, while there was sufficient runway remaining.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 4, 1998 · about 6:55 pm local time
- Place
- Blue Bell, Pennsylvania · Wings Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N5135R · no longer on the register · serial 17263352
- 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 the airplane touched down long, and subsequently ran off the departure end of the runway, onto an access road, and the nosegear collapsed. He said he briefly considered a go-around, and told his passenger that he was not going to be able to stop in time. He said there was no mechanical malfunction with the airplane.
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: 202 hours in all; 77 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 152 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,000 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 12, 1997; 57 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: GAI Gaithersburg MD at 5:45 pm
- Destination: N67
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 2,625 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:00 pm from N67
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.