Cessna 172 N35405

Summary

On 24 September 1997 at about 00:27 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N35405 was involved in an accident near Normalville, Pennsylvania, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 September 1997 at 00:27

Classification

Accident

Location

Normalville, Pennsylvania, United States

Coordinates

40.0103, -79.4208

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N35405

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Stuebenville → Williamsport

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

Unk

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

NYC97FA186

1 person died.

the pilot's inadequate clearance above an unlighted ridgeline in clouds and fog at night, and his decision to not file an IFR flight plan and his VFR flight into IMC conditions.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot departed on a night VFR flight from Steubenville, Ohio to Williamsport, Pennsylvania by way of the Indian Head VOR. The airplane flew past the VOR and then collided with trees and terrain heading back in the direction of the VOR and the departure airport. The airplane collided with an unlighted ridge, about 2,800 feet msl. Both the sun and the moon were below the horizon at the time of the accident. According to a witness, the ridgeline was partially obscured by clouds. Another witness approximately 1/2 mile from the accident site said that he heard the airplane but did not see it. He stated: 'The engine was revved up -- really loud -- I mean max. I kept looking for the plane, but I never saw it.' A weather observation taken at the time of the accident reported cloud layers at 1,000 feet, 2,500 feet and 3,300 feet with mist. Examination of the wreckage and the airplane's engine revealed no pre-impact anomalies. Five different witnesses described the pilot's propensity to sleep at the flight controls.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.