Cessna 172 accident near Kutztown, Pennsylvania, September 28, 1997
On September 28, 1997 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N5338E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kutztown, Pennsylvania (Kutztown airport). It was an instructional 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 student pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the aircraft, which resulted in an inadvertent ground swerve. Factors relating to the accident were: the student's pilot's selection of the wrong runway, the resultant tailwind, and the encounter with a cornfield beside the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 28, 1997 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Kutztown, Pennsylvania · Kutztown · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N5338E · no longer on the register · serial 17271838
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot radioed his intention to land on runway 35 over the UNICOM frequency, and was advised by another pilot that runway 10 was in use. The student then landed on runway 28. During the landing roll, the airplane veered right, departed the right side of the runway, and traveled into a cornfield. The student reported he had 84 hours of total flight experience, all in make and model, of which 20.5 hours were solo time. At an airport about 11 miles southwest of the accident site, the wind was resorted to be from 100 degrees at 10 knots.
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: student
- Flight time: 85 hours in all; 84 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,275 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 13, 1997; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming 172N (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 9D4 Myerstown PA at 4:50 pm
- Destination: N31 PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 2,260 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:45 pm from RDG, 11 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.