Cessna 172P accident near Pottsville, Pennsylvania, August 8, 1994
On August 8, 1994 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N52211, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pottsville, Pennsylvania (Schuykill County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to attain adequate airpseed, which resulted in a stall/mush and collision with a tree.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 8, 1994 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Pottsville, Pennsylvania · Schuykill County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N52211 · no longer on the register · serial 17274438
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT DURING THE FLARE FOR LANDING, THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN HARD. THE PILOT HAD USED FULL FLAPS AND HIS AIRSPEED WAS 70 KTS. THE AIRPLANE BOUNCED BACK INTO THE AIR AND PORPOISED. THE PILOT ADDED POWER TO ABORT THE LANDING AND RESET THE FLAPS TO 20 DEGREES. THE PILOT REPORTED THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT CLIMBING AND HE COULD HEAR THE STALL HORN. THE AIRPLANE DRIFTED LEFT OF THE RUNWAY AND STRUCK TREES.
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: 220 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 143 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,790 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 10, 1994; 105 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LNS Lancaster PA at 9:49 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 4,594 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:21 pm from ZER
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.