Cessna 172M accident near Cumberland, Maryland, October 25, 1998
On October 25, 1998 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N61648, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cumberland, Maryland (Mexico Farms airport). It was a personal 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 pilot's decision to land, instead of performing a go-around.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 25, 1998 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Cumberland, Maryland · Mexico Farms
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N61648 · registry record · serial 17264699
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane landed long and fast, and approaching the end of the runway, the pilot saw what appeared to be a ditch. He pulled full back on the yoke to avoid shearing off the nose wheel, and the airplane went airborne for about 100 feet. When the airplane came back down, it landed on the left and nose landing gear, and the propeller and left wing struck the ground. The airplane then bounced down on the right landing gear, and the right wing struck the ground. The pilot wrote that he 'could have and should have gone around rather than attempting to force plane down in [the] length remaining after touchdown.'
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 519 hours in all; 240 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 457 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,294 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 15, 1998
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HGR Hagerstown MD at 2:30 pm
- Destination: 1W3
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,120 ft by 190 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from HGR, 47 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.
Other NTSB records under N61648 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.