# Accident 19961020033079A: Cessna 172A, Lebanon, OH, October 20, 1996

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 20, 1996, 13:07 local time
- Place: Lebanon, OH
- Airport: Lebanon/Warren County Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.4199° N, 84.2099° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.4199&lon=-84.2099&mi=10
- Aircraft: N9890T, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9890T-2013-08-08) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172A (registry code 2072404, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental 0-300 series (registry code 17022, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-300-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172A
- Reported engine: FRNKLN 6A350*
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 1,150 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB IAD97LA009](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD97LA009) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19961020033079A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

LEARNING GLIDER TOW. TOW RELEASE FAILURE. STALLED IN TURN BACK TO AIRPORT. GLIDER RELEASED. GLIDER LANDED SAFELY. (-23) WHILE TOWING A GLIDER TO SIMULATE A NO RELEASE IN TOW LANDING, THE TOW AIRCRAFT LOST ALTITUDE OUT OF A LEFT TURN AT APPROX. 500' AND IMPACTED INTO THE TERRAIN APPROX 1400' NORTH EAST OF THE DEPARTURE RUNWAY. THE PIC OF THE TOW AIRCRAFT INCURRED FATAL INJURIES. THE GLIDER WITH TWO OCCUPANTS ON BOARD, LANDED SAFELY AFTER THE TOW ROPE BROKE UNDER TENSION.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB IAD97LA009](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD97LA009), Oct 20, 1996: Cessna 172A (N9890T), Lebanon, OH, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: improper aircraft handling by the tow pilot and/or the glider pilots, which allowed the tow plane and glider to get out of position with one another; and failure of the aircrews (in both aircraft) to…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.