| Crash location | 40.203889°N, 75.430000°W |
| Nearest city | Collegeville, PA
40.185660°N, 75.451571°W 1.7 miles away |
| Tail number | N7653X |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 16 Apr 2005 |
| Aircraft type | Cessna 172B |
| Additional details: | None |
On April 16, 2005, about 1052 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172B, N7653X, was substantially damaged while landing at the Perkiomen Valley Airport (N10), Collegeville, Pennsylvania. The certificated private pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight that originated from Coatesville, Pennsylvania. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According the pilot, as the airplane crossed over a treeline on final approach to runway 9, it encountered a sudden downdraft. The airplane then began to descend, and the left wing impacted a tree. The airplane rotated to the left, continued to descend, and impacted a road, before coming to rest inverted.
The winds reported at an airport located about 6 miles to the west, at 1054, were from 050 degrees at 12 knots, gusts to 17 knots.
The pilot's inadvertent encounter with a downdraft, which resulted in a collision with trees. A factor related to the accident was the downdraft wind conditions.