Cessna 172B accident near Collegeville, Pennsylvania, April 16, 2005
On April 16, 2005 at about 2:52 pm local time, a Cessna 172B, registered N7653X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Collegeville, Pennsylvania (Perkiomen Valley 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 inadvertent encounter with a downdraft, which resulted in a collision with trees. A factor related to the accident was the downdraft wind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 16, 2005 · about 2:52 pm local time
- Place
- Collegeville, Pennsylvania · Perkiomen Valley Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172B · all 172Bs on the register
- Registration
- N7653X · no longer on the register · serial 17248153
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
As the airplane crossed over a treeline on final approach to the runway, it encountered a sudden downdraft. The airplane then began to descend, and the left wing impacted a tree. The airplane rotated to the left, continued to descend, and impacted a road, before coming to rest inverted. The winds reported at an airport located about 6 miles to the west, at 1054, were from 050 degrees at 12 knots, gusts to 17 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
- Flight time: 121 hours in all; 51 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 76 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 29, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,772 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 10, 2004; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 40N Chester County PA at 2:15 pm
- Destination: N10 Collegeville PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09, 2,950 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 12 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.60 inHg
- Observation at 2:54 pm from PTW, 6 miles away
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.