Cessna 172L accident near Lehighton, Pennsylvania, November 8, 2005
On November 8, 2005 at about 7:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172L, registered N7684G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lehighton, Pennsylvania (Beltzville Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection, which resulted in a total loss of engine power during takeoff due to fuel contamination, and a subsequent forced landing to a field.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 8, 2005 · about 7:15 pm local time
- Place
- Lehighton, Pennsylvania · Beltzville Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172L · all 172Ls on the register
- Registration
- N7684G · no longer on the register · serial 17259384
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane had not flown for several weeks. The pilot stated that he sumped both fuel tanks and the gascolator during the preflight inspection. The taxi and engine run-up were normal, and the airplane departed on a 2,020-foot-long, 100-foot-wide, turf runway. About 250 feet above the ground, the engine began to run rough and lost power. The pilot turned right to avoid obstacles, and the engine lost all power. The pilot then attempted a forced landing to a field, but the airspeed decreased, and the rate of descent increased. The airplane's nosegear impacted a down-sloping field. During the impact, the left wing sustained substantial damage from a tree strike, and the airplane came to rest upright in the field. Approximately 4 ounces of fluid was recovered from the carburetor, of which about 3 1/2 ounces was consistent with water, while 1/2 ounce was fuel.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,060 hours in all; 2,020 in this make and model; 140 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 8,520 as pilot in command; 1,980 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,557 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 14N Lehighton PA at 7:15 pm
- Destination: 69N Slatington PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 2,020 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 6:51 pm from ABE, 15 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.