Cessna 172K accident near Honesdale, Pennsylvania, April 22, 2001
On April 22, 2001 at about 12:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172K, registered N79210, was substantially damaged in an accident near Honesdale, Pennsylvania (Cherry Ridge 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 loss of directional control during the landing roll. A factor was gusting winds.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 22, 2001 · about 12:30 pm local time
- Place
- Honesdale, Pennsylvania · Cherry Ridge Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172K · all 172Ks on the register
- Registration
- N79210 · no longer on the register · serial 17257964
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, he entered the landing pattern for multiple landings on Runway 35. During the second landing, he encountered what he believed to be "variable cross/tail wind gusts" during landing rollout. The airplane veered off the runway, and onto an adjacent, water-saturated turf runway. The wheels furrowed into the turf, and the propeller and right wing struck the ground. There were no weather reporting facilities at the airport, and the nearest airport that had reporting facilities was approximately 25 nautical miles to the southwest, and separated by mountainous terrain. Weather, recorded at that airport about 25 minutes after the accident, included clear skies and winds from 230 degrees at 6 knots.
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: 254 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 200 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 22, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,245 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 28, 2000; 90 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: N30 Honesdale PA at 12:35 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 2,420 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.21 inHg
- Observation at 12:54 pm from AVP, 25 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.
Other NTSB records under N79210 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.