Cessna 172N accident near Erwinna, Pennsylvania, July 17, 2004
On July 17, 2004 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N262MC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Erwinna, Pennsylvania (Vansant Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's failure to maintain airspeed and his failure to follow the go-around procedure which resulted in a stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 17, 2004 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Erwinna, Pennsylvania · Vansant Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N262MC · registry record · serial 17269549
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot thought he was practicing approaches and go-arounds to runway 25, a 3,058-foot-long, 120-foot-wide, turf runway. However, he was actually making approaches to runway 7; opposite the flow of traffic. During the third approach, while the airplane was on short final for runway 7, the student pilot observed another airplane final approach for runway 25. Fearing a collision, the student pilot banked the airplane left and initiated a climb. During the maneuver, he forgot to increase throttle and partially retract the flaps. The airplane subsequently stalled, descended straight down, and impacted a grass area to the left of the runway. Review of the airplane information manual revealed that a go-around required full engine power and a flap setting of 20 degrees.
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
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 161 hours in all; 161 in this make and model; 32 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 42 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DYL Doylestown PA at 4:45 pm
- Destination: 9N1 Erwinna PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 7, 3,058 ft by 120 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 5:20 pm from UKT, 14 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.
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.