Cessna 305-L-19 accident near Hilltown, Pennsylvania, January 18, 1986
On January 18, 1986 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Cessna 305-L-19, registered N5171G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hilltown, Pennsylvania (Phila Gliderport airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 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
- January 18, 1986 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Hilltown, Pennsylvania · Phila Gliderport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 305-L-19 · all 305-L-19s on the register
- Registration
- N5171G · no longer on the register · serial 23222
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CESSNA WAS TOWING A GLIDER WHEN AT AN ALTITUDE OF ABOUT 150 FEET TO ABOUT 200 FEET, A DECREASE IN RPM WAS EXPERIENCED. THE GLIDER WAS DETACHED FROM THE AIRCRAFT, THE NOSE WAS LOWERED AND A LEFT TURN MADE WHILE STILL OVER THE GLIDERPORT. A RAPID DESCENT WAS MADE WITH WINGS LEVELED, AS CONTACT WITH THE FROZEN GROUND WAS MADE. THE RIGHT GEAR BROKE AT THE FUSELAGE AND THE WING DROPPED AS THE AIRCRAFT SKIDDED ALONG THE GROUND.
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; single-engine sea; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 3,795 hours in all; 3,276 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 3,276 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,400 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N5171G 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.