Cessna 172 accident near Penn Yan, NY
On May 3, 2015, a Cessna 172 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Penn Yan, NY. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- May 3, 2015
- Place
- Penn Yan, NY
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 42.634°N, 77.051°W
- NTSB ID
- 20150503X30740
Official records · ERA15FA203
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Flight Service Briefing (Audio, MP3 Format): Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn May 3, 2015, at 1134 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172G, N3969L, impacted terrain and an airport perimeter fence during initial climb at Penn Yan Airport (PEO), Penn Yan, New York. The airplane was being operated as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The student pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at PEO about the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Finger Lakes Regional Airport (0G7), Seneca Falls, New York, about 1115. On the morning of the accident, the pilot contacted flight service and requested a weather briefing for a flight from PEO to Oswego County Airport (FZY), Fulton, New York, departing about 0730 and returning about 1100. The briefer advised the pilot of the current conditions at PEO and FZY, the forecast sky conditions for the area, and the NOTAMs applicable for the proposed flight. Review of airport security video footage showed that the accident airplane began taxiing at PEO about 0800. Data downloaded from a handheld GPS receiver recovered from the accident site showed that the device began recording on the morning of the accident at 0818. The airplane's first recorded position was about 22 nautical miles (nm) northeast of PEO, roughly along a course line between PEO and FZY. Over the next 17 minutes, three additional positions were recorded, the last of which was at 0835 and showed the airplane about 3 nm south of FZY. The next position was recorded at 0944 and showed the airplane about 2
Probable cause
The student pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during the initial climb. Contributing to the accident was the student's inappropriate configuration of the airplane's wing flaps for the initial climb.
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Browse: New York · 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.
