NTSB NYC98FA066 — 1998-02-22 · YORK, Pennsylvania, United States

N54172 has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (TIMBER TIGER AIRCRAFT EARLY BIRD JENNY), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

N54172 Cessna 172P Fatal

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during final approach which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin.

Factual narrative

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On February 22, 1998, about 1225 eastern standard time, a Cessna 172P, N54172, was substantially damaged when it impacted the ground during an approach to the York Airport (THV), York, Pennsylvania. The certificated private pilot was fatality injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed for the flight that departed Gaithersburg, Maryland, destined for THV. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to Air Traffic Control records, the pilot flew an NDB approach to runway 17, and canceled her IFR flight plan at 1224. According to witnesses, the airplane was in the traffic pattern for runway 35, a 4,448 foot long runway with a displaced threshold of 740 feet. A passenger in a United States Army National Guard UH-1 helicopter on final approach to runway 35, observed the airplane. The passenger stated: "I picked up my line of sight on the Cessna as it turned from the downwind leg and began approaching our aircraft at a 90 degree angle. The pilot's took precautionary measures at this time. [The Cessna] appeared on the right of our aircraft. She made a steep turn from base to final and now paralleled our course approx. 1/3 to 1/4 miles back, to the right, and above us. When the Cessna was 150-200 ft. Our position was approx. 1/3 down the runway and as far as possible to the 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." The pilot of the UH-1 stated: "...I was originally set up for an approach to 'the numbers' of runway 35 but because I knew I had a fixed wing somewhere close behind, decided to execute my approach to the runway 35 parallel taxi way...I flew the UH-1 as far left as possible with the intention of minimizing the effects of our rotor wash on the Cessna as I expected her to pass by our right as she rolled out from her landing on the runway. As I was terminating the approach, about a third of the way up the runway, the passenger announced that 'she is all over the place' and a second later said 'she is down...she has crashed....'" A passenger of an airplane which landed before the accident occurred stated, he looked up and saw the accident aircraft 10-20 feet above the ground in a 60 degree nose down position, in a turn. The airplane then dropped below his field of view. The accident occurred during the hours of daylight approximately 39 degrees, 54 minutes north latitude, and 76 degrees, 52 minutes west longitude.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot held a private pilot certificate for single engine land airplanes. She also held an instrument rating. Her most recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Third Class Medical Certificate was issued on November 26, 1997. A review of the pilot's log book revealed that her total flight experience was in excess of 1,500 hours. The pilot had flown about 85 hours in the 12 months prior to the accident, all in the accident airplane.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

The weather reported at THV, at 1253, was as follows: winds from 310 degrees at 5 knots; visibility 10 miles; ceiling 3,500 feet broken; temperature 45 F; dewpoint 34 F; altimeter 30.13.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The airplane wreckage was examined at the accident site on February 23 and 24, 1998. The examination revealed that all major components of the airplane were accounted for at the scene. The airplane impacted a grass knoll about 300 feet from the displaced threshold for runway 35, and came to rest inverted, on a magnetic course of 255 degrees. The airplane's nose section was crushed aft towards the fire wall. Both wing leading edges were buckled and compressed aft, the compression increased progressively from the wing roots to the wing tips. The right wing was buckled and compressed aft more significantly then the left wing. The fuselage was torn open just aft of the main cabin and bent towards the right wing. The empanage sustained minor damage. Flight control continuity was confirmed from the aileron control surface to the pilot's control yoke. Rudder and elevator flight control continuity was confirmed from the control surfaces to the pilot's station. Examination of the flap actuator jack screw indicated a flap setting of 30 degrees, which corresponded with the flap indicator in the cockpit. The engine was examined in a hangar at THV. The engine was rotated by hand using a socket fitted into the vacuum pump drive. Valve train continuity and thumb compression was obtained on all cylinders. The left and right magnetos were rotated by hand and both produced spark on all towers. All spark plug electrodes were intact and gray in appearance. Fuel was found in the carburetor bowl, and the inlet fuel screen was absent of debris. The propeller remained attached to the crankshaft flange. One propeller blade was bent aft about 45 degrees, about 10 inches from the hub. This blade displayed chordwise scratches, paint removal and deep leading edge gouges. The other propeller blade was bent slightly aft, and displayed some leading edge nicks and scratches in a chordwise direction.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

An autopsy was performed on the pilot, on February 23, 1998, by Dr. Samuel Land, of Forensic Pathology Associates, Inc, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The toxicological testing report from the FAA Toxicology Accident Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was negative for drugs and alcohol for the pilot.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Refueling Records According to records obtained from the operator, the airplane was last refueled at 1100 on the day of the accident. At that time, the fuel tanks were "topped off" with 19 gallons of 100LL fuel. Wreckage Release The airplane wreckage was released on February 24, 1998, to John Cooley, a representative of the owners insurance company. 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. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1998_NYC98FA066.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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