- Date
- May 16, 1992, 16:20 local (20:20 UTC)
- Place
- Caldwell, NJ
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N54860Cessna 172
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920516015189A
- Case key
- 11790
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 improper IFR operation. Contributing was the pilot's lack of recent instrument flight time.
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 pilot reported to air traffic control that he was having control problems shortly after he departed on the IFR flight; he requested to return to cdw. The pilot was vectored for the localizer approach to runway 22; however during the approach the flight deviated left of the localizer course. When he sighted the runway, it was off his right side, and about 600 to 700 feet below. He banked steeply right, lowered flaps 10 degrees and sideslipped the airplane to lose altitude. The pilot touched down, overran the runway, and collided with a ravine. Witnesses reported the airplane touched down about the last 200 feet of the runway. According to the logbook, the pilot had obtained an instrument rating more than six months before the accident. He had not logged any actual instrument flight time since then.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N54860
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17275070
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Mac Dan Aviation
- Registered owner
- That'S My Hon, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 9, 1992 · 70 hours before
- Departed
- CDW · Caldwell, NJ
- Destination
- HPN · White Plains, NY
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- CDW · Caldwell, runway 22, 4,553 × 80 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
- 41
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 491.6 total · 200.1 in this make and model · 326 as pilot in command · 12.3 in the last 90 days · 8.5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 400 ft broken
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TEB, 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.