Cessna 172F accident near Cooperstown, New York, August 3, 2004
On August 3, 2004 at about 6:55 pm local time, a Cessna 172F, registered N7957U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cooperstown, New York (Cooperstown-Westville Airport). It was a personal 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 pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed and her premature rotation which resulted in an inadvertent stall/mush and subsequent impact with the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 3, 2004 · about 6:55 pm local time
- Place
- Cooperstown, New York · Cooperstown-Westville Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172F · all 172Fs on the register
- Registration
- N7957U · no longer on the register · serial 17251957
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the takeoff roll, the airplane veered sharply to the left. The pilot applied right rudder to realign the airplane on the centerline, and when the airplane did not respond, she "instinctively" pulled back on the controls to lift the airplane off the runway. Because the airplane "lacked adequate airspeed," immediately after rotation, it descended, and impacted the ground. The pilot stated that the correct action, "to pull the power back" and abort the takeoff, did not occur to her until it was too late. No mechanical deficiencies were observed with the 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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,000 hours in all; 3,500 in this make and model
- Last flight review: June 20, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: K23 Cooperstown NY at 6:55 pm
- Destination: K23
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 2,600 ft by 125 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.79 inHg
- Observation at 6:56 pm from UCA, 38 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.