Cessna 172S accident near Keene, New Hampshire, March 7, 2001
On March 7, 2001 at about 6:10 pm local time, a Cessna 172S, registered N574SP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Keene, New Hampshire (Dillant-Hopkins 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll. A factor included the patchy snow on the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 7, 2001 · about 6:10 pm local time
- Place
- Keene, New Hampshire · Dillant-Hopkins · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S · all 172Ss on the register
- Registration
- N574SP · no longer on the register · serial 172S8500
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot flew a normal approach, and landed the airplane, with the throttle closed, on a runway with patches of slushy snow and ice, and some blowing dry snow. The airplane touched down on centerline, about 60 knots, and the pilot kept his feet off the brakes during rollout. About 500 feet into the rollout, the airplane began to yaw, then slowly veer and skid to the left. The pilot attempted to straighten the airplane by increasing right rudder pressure. He also considered aborting the landing, but given the airplane's slow speed, and its proximity to a 4-foot snow bank, he decided an abort would be unsuccessful. The airplane continued to veer to the left, and hit the snow bank at approximately a 30-degree angle, about 30 miles per hour. Winds, about the time of the accident, were from approximately 15 degrees left of the runway, at 5 knots. The pilot had 92 hours of flight time, with previous experience landing on contaminated runways.
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: 92 hours in all; 92 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 31 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 13, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 296 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, March 2, 2001; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LEB Lebanon NH at 4:50 pm
- Destination: EEN Keene NH
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 02, 6,201 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,800 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.75 inHg
- Observation at 6:15 pm from EEN
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.