Cessna 172P accident near Friendly, Maryland, September 21, 1999
On September 21, 1999 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N63325, was substantially damaged in an accident near Friendly, Maryland (Potomac Airfield). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's misjudgment of speed during the landing approach. The inoperative airspeed indicator was a contributing factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 21, 1999 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Friendly, Maryland · Potomac Airfield · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N63325 · no longer on the register · serial 17275422
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor and private pilot departed on an instrument training flight in IFR conditions. The private pilot performed the takeoff and announced during climbout that the airspeed indicator was inoperative. The flight instructor took control of the airplane and returned for landing. The flight instructor attempted 2 landings and aborted both attempts. On the third attempt, the airplane touched down, overran the runway, and collided with a ditch. Examination of the airplane after the accident revealed an obstructed pitot tube.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 700 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 650 as pilot in command; 309 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,732 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 1, 1999; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VKX at 10:20 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 6, 2,165 ft by 40 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 500 ft; scat at 300 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:34 pm from ADW, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.