Cessna 182C accident near Kutztown, PA
On June 2, 2004, a Cessna 182C (airplane) was involved in an accident near Kutztown, PA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- June 2, 2004
- Place
- Kutztown, PA
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182C · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 40.499°N, 75.783°W
- NTSB ID
- 20040609X00775
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On June 2, 2004, at 1017 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 182C, N8681T, was destroyed when it impacted a gravel quarry after departure from the Kutztown Airport (N31), Kutztown, Pennsylvania. The certified commercial pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local glider towing flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to the student glider pilot, who was being towed by the accident airplane, it was his third tow of the day. He stated they departed from runway 17 at Kutztown, and performed a 45-degree left turn simultaneously, to avoid a high mound of dirt off the departure end of the runway. About 30 feet above the ground, the student pilot noticed that the tow rope had "some slack" in it. In an attempt to make the rope more taught, he made a slight right rudder correction and slight aft movement of the control stick. The student pilot noticed that the tow plane did not appear to be climbing "at the rate he should have been," the tow rope "went slack" again at 200-300 feet above the ground, and the airplane began to descend below the glider. The glider pilot then decided to release from the tow plane, and he turned back to the airport. During the turn, he observed the airplane drop the left wing slightly, and then begin a turn to the right. The airplane then impacted a quarry, and a post-crash fire ensued. A witness, who was also a tow plane pilot, observed the accident from the Kutztown Airport. She stated that the takeoff of the airplane and glider appeared normal, until she observe
Probable cause
The towplane pilot's failure to maintain a climb while towing a glider for undetermined reasons, which resulted in the early release of the glider and the tow plane's subsequent impact with trees.
More accidents in PA
- Boeing B-737-300, Sep 8, 1994
- Boeing 757, Sep 11, 2001
- British Aerospace J-3101, May 21, 2000
- Bell UH-1N, May 29, 2008
- Beech A36, Jul 30, 1989
Browse: Pennsylvania · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
