Cessna 172P accident near Plainfield, Connecticut, July 25, 2003
On July 25, 2003 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N62152, was substantially damaged in an accident near Plainfield, Connecticut (Robertson Field). It was an instructional 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, which resulted in a collision with a ditch. A factor in this accident was the crosswind condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 25, 2003 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Plainfield, Connecticut · Robertson Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N62152 · no longer on the register · serial 172P75221
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was landing on runway 02, 3,612-foot-long, 75-foot-wide, asphalt runway. He reported a crosswind of about 90 degrees from the left, with winds at 8 to 10 knots. After touchdown, the airplane veered off the right side of the runway, struck a ditch and came to rest inverted. The pilot did not report and mechanical malfunctions. A nearby airport reported the winds from 280 degrees at 10 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: student
- Flight time: 35 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 9 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Interstate Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: GON Groton CT
- Destination: 4B8 Plainfield
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 02
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.