Cessna 172E accident near Batavia, New York, February 15, 2004
On February 15, 2004 at about 9:50 pm local time, a Cessna 172E, registered N369WP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Batavia, New York (Genesee County Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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 while landing. Factors were a tailwind and icy runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 15, 2004 · about 9:50 pm local time
- Place
- Batavia, New York · Genesee County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172E · all 172Es on the register
- Registration
- N369WP · registry record · serial 17251724
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was landing on runway 10, a 4,403-foot long, 100-foot wide runway. Runway 10 consisted of asphalt, with some patches of ice. The pilot approached the runway fast, and landed about halfway down the runway. The tailwheel airplane began to swerve, and the pilot applied left rudder to prevent a ground loop. However, the airplane traveled off the left side of the runway, struck a snow bank, and came to rest inverted. According to the pilot and weather reports at airports near the accident site, the airplane landed with a left quartering tailwind.
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: 350 hours in all; 322 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days; 350 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 9G0 Buffalo NY
- Destination: GVQ Batavia NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 10, 4,403 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 10°F (-12°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.