- Date
- November 18, 2020, 11:43 local (16:43 UTC)
- Place
- Manville, NJ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N734JFCessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20201118014659A
- Case key
- 102309
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 directional control while landing in a gusty crosswind, which resulted in a runway excursion and noseover.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
After practicing flight maneuvers with his student in the training area, the flight instructor opted to fly the approach and landing due to the gusting crosswinds. On the first landing attempt, the wind was a direct 90° gusting crosswind. The instructor was unable to maintain the runway centerline using the wing low side-slip technique and executed a go-around maneuver. On the second attempt, following touchdown, the airplane veered left in the gusting crosswind. The instructor input full right aileron; however, the airplane travelled off the left side of the runway, hit a runway light, and nosed over after impacting the lip of a taxiway. The vertical stabilizer and rudder were substantially damaged. Postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures, nor did the flight instructor report any. The recorded wind at the nearest weather reporting facility, about 7 miles northwest of the accident airport, was a direct right crosswind at 13 knots, gusting to 25 knots at the time of the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N734JF
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (N)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17268884
- Built
- 1978
- Airframe hours
- 2,515
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 2020 · 77 hours before
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- 47N · Central Jersey Regional Airport, runway 25, 3,507 × 50 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, ADS-B
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 32
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 11, 2020
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 638 total · 10 in this make and model · 484 as pilot in command · 189 in the last 90 days · 60 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 17 total · 17 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 13 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 36 °F, dew point 12 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.48 inHg
- Turbulence
- Unknown
- Observed at
- KSMQ, 7 nm away
- METAR
- KSMQ 181653Z AUTO 34013G25KT 10SM FEW049 02/M11 A3048 RMK AO2 PK WND 30027/1629 SLP325 T00171106
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 24, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.3 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.