Cessna 172K accident near Chateaugay, New York, July 18, 1998
On July 18, 1998 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172K, registered N155AA, was destroyed in an accident near Chateaugay, New York. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Binding in the control yoke for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 18, 1998 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Chateaugay, New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172K · all 172Ks on the register
- Registration
- N155AA · no longer on the register · serial 17258838
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While in cruise flight on the last leg of a solo cross country flight, the student pilot felt a bump, and the airplane starting to descend. The pilot added power and the engine responded, but the rate of descent increased to 1,500 feet per minute. With his headset removed, the pilot heard the stall warning horn slightly buzzing in the back ground, even though he was at cruise airspeed with cruise power applied. The pilot could move the yoke forward, but once repositioned, it could not be moved aft. With only partial control of the airplane's pitch attitude, the pilot elected to conduct an emergency landing to a road. On final, the airplane hit a set of powerlines then impacted the road, crushing the landing gear, and breaking the pilot's back. The airplane then slid off the road into ditch. The pilot experienced no problems with the engine, and it responded to throttle movements. After the accident, flight control continuity for the elevator and rudder was established. Control continuity for both ailerons was also established.
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: 92 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 47 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,624 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 8, 1998; 47 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MAL Malone NY at 9:55 pm
- Destination: FSO Highgates VT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:54 pm from BTV, 55 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.