Cessna 172K accident near Boxborough, Massachusetts, February 2, 1998
On February 2, 1998 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172K, registered N79588, was destroyed in an accident near Boxborough, Massachusetts (Minute Man airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the pilot to remove the frost on the wings before departure, which resulted in a stall
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 2, 1998 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Boxborough, Massachusetts · Minute Man
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172K · all 172Ks on the register
- Registration
- N79588 · no longer on the register · serial 17258199
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After departure, a witness observed the Cessna 172 at a low altitude with the nose bobbing up and down. Another witness saw the airplane in a left turn and heard a power reduction. The airplane then dove into a wooded area. A post-crash fire consumed the cockpit and wings. The investigation found no evidence of a mechanical failure or malfunction with the engine or airframe. Witnesses reported frost on the wings of airplanes in the area at the time of the accident. Examination of the outside tie down where the airplane had been secured revealed no evidence that the tops of the wings had been examined or de-iced.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,800 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,951 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 1997; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-F2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 6B6 at 2:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 2,770 ft by 48 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:00 pm from BED, 10 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.