Cessna 172P accident near York, Pennsylvania, February 22, 1998
On February 22, 1998 at about 5:25 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N54172, was substantially damaged in an accident near York, Pennsylvania (York 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 pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during final approach which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 22, 1998 · about 5:25 pm local time
- Place
- York, Pennsylvania · York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N54172 · registry record · serial 17274902
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was on final approach to a 4,448 foot long runway with a displaced threshold of 740 feet. A passenger in a landing helicopter stated '...Our position was approx. 1/3 down the runway and as far left in the taxiway area finishing final approach. We were down to 15-20 ft. As I continued to observe the aircraft. The wings began to seesaw left and right, back and forth and then the airplane dropped sharply and I observed debris fly up from below the drop off at the end of the runway.' Another witnesses observed the airplane pitched down more than 60 degrees and in a turn. The airplane impacted a grass knoll about 300 feet from the displaced threshold of the runway, and came to rest inverted. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any pre-impact malfunctions of the airframe or engine.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,545 hours in all; 9 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 1,410 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,600 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 15, 1998; 47 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Montgomery Aviation LTD.
The flight
- Departed from: GAI Gaithersburg MD
- Destination: THV
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 35, 5,188 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from THV
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.