Piper PA-38-112 accident near Lincoln Univ., Pennsylvania, April 3, 1999
On April 3, 1999 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-38-112, registered N2472N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lincoln Univ., Pennsylvania (Harris Airport). It was an instructional 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 student pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall/mush. Also causal was the certified flight instructor's inadequate supervision.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 3, 1999 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lincoln Univ., Pennsylvania · Harris Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-38-112 · all PA-38-112s on the register
- Registration
- N2472N · registry record · serial 38-79A0860
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certified flight instructor (CFI) and the student pilot had been performing touch and go landings, and emergency procedures. After touching down on 'Runway S', a 1,500-foot-long grass runway, the student pilot increased the throttle, and abruptly pulled back on the yoke. As the airplane climbed to about 20 feet above the runway, the stall warning horn began to sound, and the airplane became 'mushy'. The airplane began to settle back to the ground, and the CFI took over the controls. The airplane then impacted the ground, about 150 yards from the end of the runway, nose first.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 673 hours in all; 109 in this make and model; 92 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 599 as pilot in command; 108 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,830 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 12, 1999; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N57 Toughkenamon PA at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 1,500 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:51 pm from ILG, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.