Cessna 172P accident near Freeport, Pennsylvania, August 21, 1988
On August 21, 1988 at about 12:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N172RQ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Freeport, Pennsylvania (Mcville airport). 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
- August 21, 1988 · about 12:30 pm local time
- Place
- Freeport, Pennsylvania · Mcville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N172RQ · no longer on the register · serial 172-76324
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT SAID THAT HE HAD LANDED ON THE 2268 FT LONG, SOD STRIP ON SEVERAL PREVIOUS OCCASIONS. HE SAID THERE WAS A RIGHT CROSSWIND AT ABOUT 6 KTS. THE ACFT WAS TOO HIGH AND GO-AROUNDS WERE MADE FOLLOWING THE FIRST TWO APPROACHES. ON THE THIRD APPROACH, THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN AT MIDFIELD. THE PLT APPLIED THE BRAKES BUT THEY WERE INEFFECTIVE ON THE WET GRASS. THE ACFT WENT OFF THE END OF THE RWY AND DOWN A SLOPE. A SHORT WAY DOWN THE SLOPE, THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED TALL VEGETATION AND NOSED OVER.
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: 238 hours in all; 55 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 179 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Steel City Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: AGC Pittsburgh PA at 12:05 pm
- Destination: G06
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 2,268 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 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.