Cessna 172RG accident near West Chester, Pennsylvania, May 14, 1988
On May 14, 1988 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N9638B, was substantially damaged in an accident near West Chester, Pennsylvania (Brandywine airport). It was a personal flight 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
- May 14, 1988 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- West Chester, Pennsylvania · Brandywine · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N9638B · no longer on the register · serial 172RG0936
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS PERFORMING A TOUCH AND GO LANDING AT BRANDWYINE AIRPORT AND LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL DURING LANDING. HE SAID HE TOUCHED DOWN, APPLIED FULL POWER THEN REMEMBERED TO PUT THE FLAPS UP. WHEN THE ACFT STARTED TO VEER OFF THE RWY THE PLT APPLIED BRAKES BUT WAS UNABLE TO REGAIN CONTROL. THE TERRAIN OFF THE RWY WAS DESCENDING. THE ACFT BECAME AIRBORNE BRIEFLY THEN STALLED AND COLLIDED WITH TREES TO THE RT OF THE RWY. THE PLT SAID THIS WAS HIS FIRST 'TOUCH AND GO' IN ABOUT 2 YEARS.
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: 237 hours in all; 155 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 185 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 611 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 12, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: T.A. F. Aviation CORP
The flight
- Departed from: N99 Brandywine PA at 1:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 3,012 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 46°F (8°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.
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.