- Date
- May 18, 1992, 21:38 local (May 19, 1992, 01:38 UTC)
- Place
- Princeton, NJ
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N55110Cessna 172P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report June 21, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920518015419A
- Case key
- 11726
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance over an obstacle. Contributing factors were a tailwind, dark night, and premature raising of the flaps.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The airplane struck a 50 foot high tree at night, 1200 feet beyond the departure end of runway 28. The airplane was headed westbound. There were no known witnesses to the accident. The pilot of another airplane was trying to land using runway 28, but was twice unsuccessful, which she attributed to a tailwind, so she landed on the first try using runway 10. After her second try to land on runway 28, she noticed another airplane, also doing a go around after an unsuccessful landing attempt on runway 28. She radioed the pilot to advise him to use runway 10, and he replied with an unclear transmission which abruptly ended. The investigation revealed the pilot had conducted night flight at this airport four times before. He had four hours of total night flight time. The investigation did not reveal evidence of mechanical malfunction and the flaps were extended five degrees. According to Cessna, during a go around, the flaps should be reduced to 10 degrees until obstacles have been cleared.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N55110
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17275112
- Airframe hours
- 3,123
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Raritan Valley Flying School
- Registered owner
- Raritan Valley Flying School
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 27, 1992 · 2,286 hours before
- Departed
- 39N
- Airport
- 39N · Princeton, runway 28, 3,096 × 60 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 21
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 108 total · 43 in this make and model · 80 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 60° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TTN, 10 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.