Cessna 172 accident near New Brighton, Pennsylvania, March 19, 2000
On March 19, 2000 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N6261E, was substantially damaged in an accident near New Brighton, Pennsylvania (Black Rock Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate compensation for the gusty wind conditions. A factor was the windshear encountered on final approach.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 19, 2000 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- New Brighton, Pennsylvania · Black Rock Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N6261E · registry record · serial 46361
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was making an approach towards the east, to an east-west, 1,500-foot grass airstrip. The airstrip was located in an area of rolling hills and valleys. The approach was flown over a valley, with the final segment flown over an up-slope of a hill. The runway threshold was on top of that hill. On short final, the airplane encountered windshear. The pilot added full power and pitched nose-up to initiate a go-around. However, the airplane descended rapidly, hit treetops, then 'mushed' into the ground about 20 feet short of the runway. Winds, recorded about 5 nautical miles away, were from 120 degrees true, at 16, gusting to 30 knots. The seven previous hourly observations included winds at 18 to 20 knots, with six of those having gusts at or above 30 knots. The pilot had about 9,000 hours of flight time, and was a captain for a major air cargo carrier.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,000 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 160 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,158 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 18, 2000; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,260 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: P234 at 6:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 10, 1,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 16 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,500 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:48 pm from BVI, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N6261E the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.