Cessna 172H accident near Hershey, Pennsylvania, December 2, 1983
On December 2, 1983 at about 8:10 pm local time, a Cessna 172H, registered N6246L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hershey, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- December 2, 1983 · about 8:10 pm local time
- Place
- Hershey, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172H · all 172Hs on the register
- Registration
- N6246L · no longer on the register · serial 17255846
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PRIOR TO TAKEOFF THE PLT WAS ADVISED THAT 'A STORM WAS MOVING IN.' THE PLT REPLIED HE KNEW THAT & WAS ONLY GOING UP FOR A SHORT FLT. SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF SNOW BEGAN TO FALL, & THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED FLYING PERPENDICULAR TO THE RWY BELOW TRAFFIC PATTERN ALTITUDE. THE ACFT MADE SEVERAL APPROACHES, BUT ON EACH APPROACH THE ACFT WAS EITHER TOO HIGH OR MIDWAY DOWN THE RWY. PRIOR TO THE LAST ABORTED LANDING ATTEMPT, THE ACFT HAD PASSED BEYOND THE MIDPOINT OF THE RWY, STILL HIGH,WITH ABOUT 10 DEG OF FLAPS EXTENDED. DURING THIS TIME THE FALLING SNOW HAD INCREASED IN INTENSITY. SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE ACFT CRASHED. THE WX AT THE ARPT WAS OBSERVED AS 'SNOWING HEAVILY AND POOR VISIBILITY.'
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: 463 hours in all; 194 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 335 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,772 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 58N Palmyra PA at 5:00 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:48 pm from HAR, 12 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.