Cessna 172RG accident near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, September 29, 1995
On September 29, 1995, a Cessna 172RG, registered N9497B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Allegheny County 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 pilot's failure to obtain the proper touchdown point and excessive airspeed which resulted in an overrun and a subsequent collision with a trailer off the departure end of the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 29, 1995
- Place
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania · Allegheny County
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N9497B · no longer on the register · serial 172RG0838
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS LANDING ON RUNWAY 23, A 2534 FOOT LONG RUNWAY, WHICH WAS NOT EQUIPPED WITH A VISUAL APPROACH SLOPE INDICATOR. THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN APPROXIMATELY 800 FEET FROM THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY THEN FLOATED AND TOUCHED DOWN APPROXIMATELY 400 FEET FROM THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT APPLIED HEAVY BRAKING; HOWEVER, THE AIRPLANE CONTINUED OFF THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY DOWN AN EMBANKMENT IMPACTING A TRAILER AND BUILDING. ADDITIONALLY, THE PILOT STATED, '...I LANDED FAST...', AND THAT THERE WERE NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS OR FAILURES. THE WINDS WERE REPORTED AS CALM.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 461 hours in all; 370 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 395 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,573 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 22, 1995
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MPO Mount Pocono PA at 10:00 pm
- Destination: AGC PA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 23, 2,534 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 100° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from AGC
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.