Cessna 172P accident near Rutland, Vermont, April 28, 1996
On April 28, 1996 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N98574, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rutland, Vermont (Rutland State airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's improper flare and recovery from a bounced landing. A contributing factor was his lack of recent flight experience.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 28, 1996 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Rutland, Vermont · Rutland State
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N98574 · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had completed a cross country flight and was landing on runway 31. When the pilot flared, the airplane drifted to the left. During the pilot's attempt to realign the airplane with the runway, the airplane bounced and veered left off of the runway. Winds reported by the airport automatic weather observing/reporting system (AWOS) at the time of the accident were from 300 degrees at 4 knots. The pilot had logged 7 hours in this make and model, of which 5 hours were as pilot-in-command. The balance of his flight experience was in the Cessna 152. The pilot had flown 2-1/2 hours in the previous 90 days.
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: 99 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 36 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320J-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SCH Schenectady NY at 1:30 pm
- Destination: RUT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 31, 3,170 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:35 pm from RUT
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.
Other NTSB records under N98574 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.