Cessna 172C accident near Pottstown, Pennsylvania, July 4, 2004
On July 4, 2004 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172C, registered N38RA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pottstown, Pennsylvania (Pottstown Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 2004 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pottstown, Pennsylvania · Pottstown Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172C · all 172Cs on the register
- Registration
- N38RA · registry record · serial 17249058
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot initiated a short field takeoff, with 20 degrees of flaps. He rotated the airplane at 40-50 knots, and as the airplane climbed, he began to hear the stall warning horn. The pilot reported that the airplane handled "sluggishly," and at 400 feet, he retracted the flaps to 10 degrees. He initiated a left turn back to the runway, and the airplane touched down first on the nose wheel, and then began to porpoise down the runway. The airplane bounced several times, and about the second or third bounce, the landing gear collapsed and the propeller came in contact with the ground. The pilot reported no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane. Additionally, he reported 150 hours of total flight experience, 1 hour of which was in the make and model of the accident airplane.
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: 150 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 90 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,133 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2004; 47 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,250 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Gateway Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: N47 Pottstown PA at 7:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 2,704 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 6:54 pm from PTW, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.