Cessna 195 accident near Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, October 10, 1992
On October 10, 1992 at about 3:33 pm local time, a Cessna 195, registered N4308V, was destroyed in an accident near Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A LOSS OF CONTROL DUE TO PILOT INCAPACITATION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 10, 1992 · about 3:33 pm local time
- Place
- Shenandoah, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 195 · all 195s on the register
- Registration
- N4308V · no longer on the register · serial 7215
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
RADAR DATA SHOWED THE AIRPLANE IN A CLIMB TO 7800 FT, LEVEL AT 7700 FT FOR APPROX 1 MINUTE, AND THEN ENTER A DESCENT. THE RADAR DATA WAS PUT INTO A COMPUTER PROGRAM WHICH SHOWED THAT THE HIGHEST VERTICAL SPEED RECORDED WAS 19,000 FPM, WITH A TAS OF 279.9 KTS (321.9 MPH). EVIDENCE OF FLUTTER WAS FOUND ON THE ELEVATOR, WHICH SEPARATED FROM THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZERS, AND THE WINGS HAD FAILED SYMMETRICALLY IN NEGATIVE LOADING. THE PILOT HAD BEEN TAKING VASOTEC FOR HYPERTENSION. DATA SUPPLIED FROM FLIGHT TESTING FOUND THAT IF THE AIRPLANE WAS TRIMMED FOR A CLIMB AT 112 MPH, AND THE POWER WAS NOT CHANGED, A 13 POUND FORWARD FORCE ON THE CONTROL WHEEL WOULD CAUSE THE AIRPLANE TO ACCELERATE TO 196 MPH. THE NEVER EXCEED SPEED FOR THE AIRPLANE IS 200 MPH.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,225 hours in all; 1,260 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 6,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,163 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 8, 1992; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs R755B-2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 9D4 Myerstown PA at 3:10 pm
- Destination: BGM Binghamton NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:45 pm from RDG, 29 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.