Cessna 172R accident near Smoketown, Pennsylvania, December 30, 2004
On December 30, 2004 at about 5:35 pm local time, a Cessna 172R, registered N9962F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Smoketown, Pennsylvania (Smoketown Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 3 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during takeoff, which resulted in a collision with a parked airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 30, 2004 · about 5:35 pm local time
- Place
- Smoketown, Pennsylvania · Smoketown Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 3 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172R · all 172Rs on the register
- Registration
- N9962F · no longer on the register · serial 17280169
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot boarded three passengers, and taxied to a 2,400-foot-long, 50-foot-wide, asphalt runway. The pilot initiated a takeoff roll, and rotated the airplane at 55 knots, but it did not become airborne. The airplane veered left and traveled off the left side of the runway. The pilot applied right rudder and brake, but the airplane continued left and struck a parked airplane. The airplane then struck a fence and two parked vehicles before coming to rest upright in an adjacent parking lot. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any pre-impact mechanical malfunctions, nor did the pilot report any.
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: 64 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 11 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,965 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2004; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,457 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aero-Tech Services
The flight
- Departed from: S37 Smoketown PA at 5:35 pm
- Destination: S37
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 2,400 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,400 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.43 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from LNS, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 |
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.