Cessna 120 accident near Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, September 4, 1983
On September 4, 1983 at about 8:35 pm local time, a Cessna 120, registered N77321, was substantially damaged in an accident near Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. 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 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
- September 4, 1983 · about 8:35 pm local time
- Place
- Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 120 · all 120s on the register
- Registration
- N77321 · no longer on the register · serial 11763
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE PILOT WHEN HE ENTERED THE AIRCRAFT HE FOUND THAT THE MASTER SWITCH HAD BEEN LEFT ON AND THE BATTERY WASDOWN. HE FLEW AROUND THE AIRPORT FOR ABOUT 45 MIN, TO RECHARGE THE BATTERY PRIOR TO DEPARTING FOR HIS DESTINATION. HE ARRIVED AT HIS DESTINATION BUT WAS UNABLE TO FIND THE AIRPORT AFTER SEARCHING FOR ABOUT 30 MIN. THE PILOT WAS GIVEN A D/F STEER TO THE AIRPORT AND BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE FUEL EXHAUSTION. HE SWITCHED TO THE OTHER TANK WHICH SHOWED 1/8 FULL AND CONTINUED TOWARD DESTINATION. THE FLIGHT EXPERIENCED FUEL EXHAUSTION AND LANDED IN A CORN FIELD.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 418 hours in all; 64 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 344 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,256 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 26, 1983; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,420 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Burlington NJ at 5:00 pm
- Destination: Punxsutawney NJ
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°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.
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.