Cessna 185C accident near New Hanover, Pennsylvania, May 12, 1991
On May 12, 1991 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 185C, registered N26792, was substantially damaged in an accident near New Hanover, Pennsylvania (New Hanover airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CONTROL BY THE PILOT DURING A CROSSWIND TAKEOFF AND SUBSEQUENT COLLISION WITH ROUGH TERRAIN. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT'S LACK OF EXPERIENCE IN THIS MAKE AND MODEL AIRPLANE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 12, 1991 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- New Hanover, Pennsylvania · New Hanover
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185C · all 185Cs on the register
- Registration
- N26792 · registry record · serial 1850679
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE TAKEOFF ON RUNWAY 31, THE PILOT DID NOT MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL, BECAUSE OF THE CROSS WIND FROM THE LEFT. THE AIRPLANE EXITED THE GRASS RUNWAY AND STRUCK A DITCH. THE PILOT HAD 12.6 HOURS TOTAL FLIGHT TIME IN THE CESSNA 185C. THE WIND WAS REPORTED TO BE FROM 200 TO 220 DEGREES AT 12 KNOTS.
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: 610 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 77 in the last 90 days; 47 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 2,455 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 12 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
Other NTSB records under N26792 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number NYC91LA131.