Cessna 172P accident near Plainville, Connecticut, March 29, 1998
On March 29, 1998 at about 4:20 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N9821L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Plainville, Connecticut (Robertson Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate crosswind compensation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 29, 1998 · about 4:20 pm local time
- Place
- Plainville, Connecticut · Robertson Field
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N9821L · no longer on the register · serial 172P76622
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On the pilot's second attempt to land on Runway 2, he established the airplane on final with 20 degrees of flaps and 65 knots of airspeed. The airplane touched down then floated back up approximately 3 feet above the runway. The pilot let the airplane settle back onto the runway while applying full left aileron and full right ruder. The airplane departed the runway, nose pointed slightly right of centerline then traveled down a 60-degree embankment, striking a chain link fence and coming to rest upright.
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: 158 hours in all; 102 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 106 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,291 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 17, 1998; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: UUU Newport RI at 3:25 pm
- Destination: 4B8 CT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 2, 3,612 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 16 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from HFD, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.