Cessna 172RG accident near Palmer, Massachusetts, March 3, 1982
On March 3, 1982 at about 4:35 pm local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N9678B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Palmer, Massachusetts (Palmer Metro airport). It was a business 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 3, 1982 · about 4:35 pm local time
- Place
- Palmer, Massachusetts · Palmer Metro
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N9678B · no longer on the register · serial 172RG0963
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT INITIATED A TAKEOFF ON RUNWAY 04. HE REPORTED THE WIND WAS FROM 300 TO 330 DEGREES AT 10 GUSTING 25 KTS. DURING THE TAKEOFF ROLL, A BUMP IN THE RUNWAY WAS ENCOUNTERED AND THE AIRCRAFT BECAME AIRBORNE. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT A GUST OF WIND FROM THE LEFT PICKED UP THE LEFT WING AS THE AIRCRAFT BECAME AIRBORNE, THEN PUSHED THE AIRCRAFT SIDEWAYS ACROSS THE RUNWAY THROUGH A SNOWBANK. THE PLANE CONTINUED FLIGHT STRIKING SEVERAL SMALL TREES, THEN SETTLED TO THE GROUND. THE BUMP IN THE RUNWAY WAS DESCRIBED AS A FROST HEAVE.
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: 168 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 108 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Palmer MA at 11:35 am
- Destination: Westerly RI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 2,500 ft by 55 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 10 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N9678B the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.