Cessna 172N accident near Lock Haven, PA
On July 4, 2024, a Cessna 172N (airplane) was involved in an accident near Lock Haven, PA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 4, 2024
- Place
- Lock Haven, PA
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 41.142°N, 77.418°W
- NTSB ID
- 20240704194612
Official records · ERA24FA292
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn July 4, 2024, about 1010 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172N airplane, N739GV, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. The student pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. According to flight track data provided by the FAA, the airplane departed from runway 27 at Williamsport Regional Airport (IPT), Williamsport, Pennsylvania, at 0951. The airplane proceeded on a west-southwesterly ground track until it entered an extended left downwind leg for runway 9L at William T. Piper Memorial Airport (LHV), Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. The airplane continued in the left traffic pattern and lined up on final approach to runway 9L. About halfway down the 3,799-ft-long runway, after track data consistent with a touch-and-go landing or low approach, the airplane began a left, climbing turn. During the turn, the airplane’s ground speed slowly increased from 36 to 46 knots. The last recorded radar target showed the airplane on a north-northwesterly ground track at a groundspeed of 46 knots. The figure depicts the airplane’s ground track relative to LHV and the accident site. Figure - Radar track (red line) showing the approach to LHV and the accident location. A witness, who was standing in the Susquehanna River at the time, observed the airplane during the seconds before the accident. He stated that the airplane came toward him at an altitude of about 200 ft. He watched as the airplane made a left turn, and he thought that there was no way that the
Probable cause
The student pilot’s premature turn to the crosswind leg of the traffic pattern at low airspeed and altitude, resulting in a collision with trees and terrain.
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.
