Experts Defend Cessna's Reputation

Despite two Cessna airplane crashes in three days - one in Coney Island and the other in Connecticut - aviation experts said yesterday that the single-engine plane is among the safest in the industry and that the majority of accidents involving it have been because of pilot error. A Cessna 172, which went down in Coney Island Saturday and killed four people, and a larger and more powerful Cessna 182, which crashed in New Fairfield, Conn., Monday, killing a couple from Wading River, have good safety records, industry officials said. And, they said, both four-seat craft are popular with student pilots and weekend fliers.