Cessna 182A accident near Fogelsville, Pennsylvania, March 7, 1998
On March 7, 1998 at about 7:45 pm local time, a Cessna 182A, registered N9977B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fogelsville, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the aircraft upon glider release. A contributing factor was the high vegetation (corn).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 7, 1998 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Fogelsville, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182A · all 182As on the register
- Registration
- N9977B · no longer on the register · serial 34377
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After an off airport landing, the glider pilot called for assistance. A certificated flight instructor (CFI) drove to the site to assess towing the glider from the field. The CFI estimated the field to be 1,000 feet long and oriented northwest/southeast. The northwest edge of the field terminated at the edge of a field of 4 foot high corn. After arriving in the C-182, the tow and glider pilots agreed that the field length was satisfactory. With one notch of flaps set, a quarter tank of fuel in both wing tanks, and utilizing a shorter tow rope, the tow airplane accelerated with the engine producing full power. The glider was airborne halfway across the field, but released when the glider pilot saw the tow airplane approaching the corn field. After the glider released, the tow airplane pitched nose-up, and the tow pilot last remembered pushing forward on the yoke. The airplane came to rest in a vertical, nose down attitude, against small trees at the bottom of a ravine. Corn stalks, about 4 feet high, contained a cut area the width of the airplane's elevator. Pieces of corn stalks were found lodged between the airplane's stabilator and elevator. No mechanical malfunctions were found in the airframe or 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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 8,907 hours in all; 50 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,431 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 19, 1997; 44 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE PA at 7:20 pm
- Destination: N31 Kutztown PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; scat at 2,800 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:51 pm from ABE, 18 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.