# Accident 19980307002869A: Cessna 182A, Fogelsville, PA, March 7, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 7, 1998, 14:45 local time
- Place: Fogelsville, PA
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.5892° N, 75.6607° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.5892&lon=-75.6607&mi=10
- Aircraft: N9977B, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9977B-2005-09-27) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 182A (registry code 2072704, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-182a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental O-470 series (registry code 17026, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-o-470-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 182A
- Reported engine: CONT O470L
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 8,907 total, 50 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB IAD98LA031](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD98LA031) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980307002869A

## Narrative

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

LANDED IN FIELD TO TOW OUT GLIDER. GLIDER PILOT RELEASED TOW RELANDED. 182 CAUGHT UNAWARE PITCHED UP DOVE TO IMPACT. (.4) AFTER AN OFF AIRPORT LANDING, THE GLIDER PILOT CALLED FOR ASSISTANCE.  A CERTIFICATED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR (CFI) DROVE TO THE SITE TO ASSESS TOWING THE GLIDER FROM THE FIELD.  THE CFI ESTIMATED THE FIELD TO BE 1,000 FEET LONG, BUTTED UP AGAINST A CORN FIELD.  AFTER LANDING, THE TOW PILOT AND THE GLIDER PILOT AGREED THE FIELD WAS LONG ENOUGH.  WITH ONE NOTCH OF FLAPS SET, LOADED WITH A QUARTER TANK OF FUEL IN BOTH WING TANKS AND UTILIZING A SHORTER TOW ROPE, THE TOW AIRPLANE ACCELERATED WITH THE ENGINE PRODUCING FULL POWER. THE GLIDER WAS AIRBORNE HALFWAY ACROSS THE FIELD, BUT RELEASED WHEN THE GLIDER PILOT SAW THE TOW AIRPLANE APPROACHING THE CORN FIELD.  AFTER THE GLIDER RELEASED, THE TOW AIRPLANE PITCHED NOSE-UP, AND THE TOW PILOT LAST REMEMBERED PUSHING FORWARD ON THE YOKE.  THE AIRPLANE CAME TO REST IN A VERTICAL, NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE, AGAINST SMALL TREES AT THE BOTTOM OF A RAVINE.  CORN STALKS, ABOUT 4 FEET HIGH, CONTAINED A CUT AREA THE WIDTH OF THE AIRPLANE'S ELEVATOR. PIECES OF CORN STALKS WERE FOUND LODGED BETWEEN THE AIRPLANE'S STABILATOR AND ELEVATOR.  NO  MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS WERE FOUND IN THE AIRFRAME OR ENGINE. (-23) MR. BINDER, THE PILOT OF N9977B, ATTEMPTED TO LAUNCH  A GLIDER BY TOWING IT IN A FARMER'S FIELD WITH HIS CE-182. APPROACHING THE END OF THE FIELD THE GLIDER PILOT REALIZED THEY WOULD NOT MAKE IT AND DISCONNECTED FROM THE TOW PLANE. THE TOW PLANE FLEW FOR APPROXIMATELY ANOTHER 300 FT AND CAME TO REST IN A TREE.

## 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 IAD98LA031](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD98LA031), Mar 7, 1998: Cessna 182A (N9977B), Fogelsville, PA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain control of the aircraft upon glider release. A contributing factor was the high vegetation (corn).

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.

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