# Accident 20260115002379A: American General Acft Corp AG5B, Fairfield, NJ, January 15, 2026

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 15, 2026, 17:13 local time
- Place: Fairfield, NJ
- Airport: Essex County Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.8752° N, 74.2814° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.8752&lon=-74.2814&mi=10
- Aircraft: N59WM, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N59WM) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: American General Acft AG5B (registry code 3990100, https://openairdocs.org/model/american-general-acft-ag5b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 series (registry code 41514, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMERICAN GENERAL ACFT CORP AG5B
- Reported engine: LYCOMING O&VO-360 SER
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 257 total, 90 in this make and model, 12 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA26LA096](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA26LA096) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260115002379A

## Narrative

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

PILOT WAS SETTING UP TO LAND RUNWAY 28. AIRCRAFT STRUCK TREES ON FINAL APPROACH TO RUNWAY 28, RESULTING IN SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFTS LEFT WING, RIGHT WING AND ENGINE COWLING. AIRCRAFT SUBSEQUENTLY LANDED ON RUNWAY 28 AND WAS ABLE TO TAXI TO THE FBO WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.

## 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 ERA26LA096](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA26LA096), Jan 15, 2026: American General Acft AG5B (N59WM), Fairfield, NJ, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain an appropriate glide path during the landing approach in gusting wind conditions, resulting in an impact with trees prior to the runway.

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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