Cessna 172 accident near West Dover, Vermont, February 14, 2004
On February 14, 2004 at about 1:40 am local time, a Cessna 172, registered N8880V, was substantially damaged in an accident near West Dover, Vermont (Mount Snow 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 aircraft control, and his failure to perform a go-around. Factors were wind gusts and the pilot's lack of flight experience.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 14, 2004 · about 1:40 am local time
- Place
- West Dover, Vermont · Mount Snow Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N8880V · no longer on the register · serial 17264239
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Prior to takeoff, the pilot received a weather briefing from a flight service station, which included a forecast of calm winds at the departure and destination airport. While on the downwind leg for runway 19 at the destination airport, the airplane encountered turbulence, which increased as the airplane turned onto base leg. The wind forced the airplane into a descending right turn attitude. The pilot contemplated a go-around, but thought that it may not be completed successfully under the wind conditions. The pilot subsequently continued the approach and touched down about 700 feet beyond the approach end of the 2,650-foot long, 75-foot wide, asphalt runway. However, the airplane bounced, traveled off the end of the runway, and came to rest inverted in the snow. The pilot reported a total flight experience of approximately 86 hours; of which, about 11 hours were at night. Prior to the accident flight, the pilot had not flown to the destination airport, which was located in mountainous terrain. The reported wind at an airport approximately 17 miles west of the accident site, about the time of the accident, was from 220 degrees at 3 knots. The reported wind at an airport approximately 35 miles north of the accident site, about the time of the accident, was from 270 degrees at 15 knots, gusting to 24 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: 86 hours in all; 84 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 40 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HFD Hartford CT
- Destination: 4V8 West Dover VT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 2,650 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 220° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.79 inHg
- Observation at 1:54 am from DDH
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.