Cessna 177 accident near Youngstown, Ohio, August 31, 1996
On August 31, 1996 at about 9:08 pm local time, a Cessna 177, registered N2992X, was destroyed in an accident near Youngstown, Ohio (Lansdowne airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's delay in aborting the landing, and his failure to attain adequate airspeed to fly out of ground effect, which resulted in a stall/mush and collision with the ground. Factors relating to the accident were: the pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing, and the resultant porpoise.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 31, 1996 · about 9:08 pm local time
- Place
- Youngstown, Ohio · Lansdowne · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177 · all 177s on the register
- Registration
- N2992X · no longer on the register · serial 17700392
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during an approach to land on runway 20, he came in fast, and after touchdown, the airplane bounced multiple times on the runway. As the airplane neared the departure end of the runway, power was added to abort the landing. After becoming airborne, the pilot lowered the nose to increase airspeed. The airplane continued past the departure end of the runway and settled as it crossed over a cliff. Subsequently, it settled into an area of lower terrain strewn with concrete blocks (and boulders). When asked if there had been a power loss, the pilot replied, 'no.' No evidence of a mechanical failure or malfunction of the airplane was found. The runway was 3075 feet long, and according to the owners manual, at gross weight, the airplane would have required about 1200 feet to touchdown and stop after clearing a 50 foot obstacle.
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: 680 hours in all; 345 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 680 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,768 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 22, 1995; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A3A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: MSN Madison WI at 5:00 pm
- Destination: 04G
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 3,075 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:51 pm from YNG, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.