Cessna 172 accident near North Adams, Massachusetts, April 6, 2000
On April 6, 2000 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N738CG, was substantially damaged in an accident near North Adams, Massachusetts (Harriman And West Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to obtain the proper touchdown point. A factor was a tailwind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 6, 2000 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- North Adams, Massachusetts · Harriman And West Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N738CG · registry record · serial 17269867
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Shortly after departure for the local flight, the pilot observed drizzle, and returned to the airport for landing. The pilot reported that he experienced a wind shear on approach to the runway. Weather data confirmed a 180 degree shift in the wind direction at the airport, within one hour. A witness at the airport stated that the accident airplane touched down beyond the midpoint of the runway. The airplane went off the end of the runway, into a fence.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,260 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 940 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,953 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 9, 1999; 145 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AQW at 9:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11, 4,300 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:52 pm from AQW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number NYC00LA109.