Cessna 172F accident near Conrad, Pennsylvania, January 25, 1997
On January 25, 1997 at about 11:25 pm local time, a Cessna 172F, registered N8835U, was destroyed in an accident near Conrad, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
VFR flight by the pilot into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), and spatial disorientation of the pilot, which led to loss of aircraft control, an uncontrolled descent, and subsequent collision with wooded terrain. Factors relating to the accident were: darkness, adverse weather conditions, the pilot's lack of instrument experience, and the wooded, mountainous/hilly terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 25, 1997 · about 11:25 pm local time
- Place
- Conrad, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172F · all 172Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8835U · no longer on the register · serial 17252745
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a telephonic weather briefing from the Altoona Flight Service Station, the pilot stated he intended to fly VFR from State College, PA, to Elmira, NY. The briefer advised that '...VFR was not recommended...' due to mountain obscurations and 'quite strong' winds. A review of radar data revealed the airplane traveled in a northerly direction (at night) with several heading deviations as great as 270 degrees. The en route altitude varied from 3,200 to 4,100 feet. The radar track then depicted a descending right spiral from about 4,000 feet that terminated in the vicinity of the accident site. Subsequently, the airplane collided with trees and terrain along a 2,100 ridge, about 15 miles west of the intended course. Wreckage was scattered about 342 feet on a westerly heading. No preimpact mechanical failure was found that would have resulted in the accident. The pilot had logged about 111 hours total flight time with about 1 hour of instrument flight time.
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: 111 hours in all; 42 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 70 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: UNV State College PA at 10:49 pm
- Destination: ELM Elmira NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 270° at 11 knots, gusting 21
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 21°F (-6°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 28.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:19 pm from KBF, 35 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.