Cessna 172H accident near Mount Alton, Pennsylvania, November 27, 1982
On November 27, 1982, a Cessna 172H, registered N9511H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mount Alton, Pennsylvania (Bradford Regional airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- November 27, 1982
- Place
- Mount Alton, Pennsylvania · Bradford Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172H · all 172Hs on the register
- Registration
- N9511H · no longer on the register · serial 17266189
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ENROUTE THE PLT REPORTED HE WAS ICING UP & WOULD HAVE TO DIVERT TO BRADFORD. ABOUT 12 MI FROM THE ARPT THE PLT DECLARED AN EMERGENCY STATING HE DIDN'T THINK HE COULD MAKE A MISSED APPROACH WITH THE ICE BUILDUP. THE PLT THEN REPORTED A ROUGH ENGINE & AN AIRSPEED OF ABOUT 70K WITH FULL THROTTLE. JUST PRIOR TO THE CRASH THE PLT REPORTED THAT HE HAD SO MUCH ICE ON HIS WINDSHIELD THAT HE COULDN'T SEE. THE ACFT CRASHED ABOUT 1 MI SHORT OF RWY 32. COATING THE LEADING EDGE OF THE LEFT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER WAS AN ICE BUILDUP WHICH TAPERED IN THICKNESS FROM 1/4 INCH AT THE ROOT TO ABOUT 1-1/2 INCHES AT THE TIP. PIECES OF 3/4 TO ONE INCH THICK ICE WERE FOUND IN THE GROUND SCAR FOUND UNDER THE RIGHT WING. ICING CONDITIONS WERE FORECASTED ALONG THE ROUTE OF FLT.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 966 hours in all; 890 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 848 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,865 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 49 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ELM Elmira NY at 5:49 pm
- Destination: YNG Youngstown OH
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 32, 6,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 260° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.