Maisie Bitler

By Jillian Pikora From Daily Voice

Pilot error was determined to be the likely cause of the Fourth-of-July plane crash in Pennsylvania that tragically claimed the life of 17-year-old Maisie Bitler, according to a final report released by the National Transportation Safety Board on Friday, August 29, 2025.

Bitler, a student pilot from Williamsport, was at the controls of a single-engine Cessna 172 launched from Williamsport Regional Airport around 9:51 a.m. on July 4, 2024. She was attempting a solo landing at William T. Piper Memorial Airport in Lock Haven when the incident occurred.

Flight data shows Bitler entered the traffic pattern and lined up for landing. Midway down the 3,799-foot runway, she initiated a steep climb and abrupt left turn while still at low airspeed and altitude. The aircraft collided with the top of a tree and then crashed into another, bursting into flames upon impact in Clinton County.

A witness reported hearing the engine sound normal but described the plane as “struggling” during its climb—a detail that aligned with the NTSB’s findings. The agency concluded that the pilot’s premature turn to the crosswind leg at low airspeed and altitude resulted in the crash.

This was only Bitler’s second solo flight. Records show she had accumulated approximately 27 total flight hours, nearly all in the Cessna 172 model. Her first solo flight, a brief 30-minute excursion, had been completed just weeks prior after nearly 22 hours of dual instruction.

Though her instructor lauded her as an “outstanding student,” he confirmed he was unaware she was flying that day—a move contrary to both his instruction and the Quarter to Two Flying Club’s rules requiring explicit instructor permission for solo flights.

A proud recent graduate of Hughesville Jr./Sr. High School and a Civil Air Patrol C/1st Lieutenant, Bitler had been accepted into an aviation school and aspired to become a professional pilot. She was remembered by her community as a “ray of sunshine” to everyone she met.

A candlelight vigil was held on July 11, 2024, and a celebration of her life was hosted at Williamsport Regional Airport in early August.