- Date
- December 14, 2024, 14:25 local (19:25 UTC)
- Place
- Englishtown, NJ
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Defining events
- Taxi-to runway: Loss of control on groundTaxi: Ground collision
- 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/ FSDO
- FAA report
- 20241214021502A
- Case key
- 199514
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 high wing airplane flight crew’s failure to maintain directional control while taxiing, which resulted in a collision with the stationary low wing airplane.
Findings · 4
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.
N9137H · Cessna 172M
N8454H · Piper PA28
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.
N9137H · Cessna 172M
N8454H · Piper PA28
Analysis
The student pilot of the high wing airplane was taxiing to the runway for takeoff while the pilot of the low wing airplane was holding short of the taxiway to allow the high wing airplane to pass. The student pilot in the high wing airplane reported applying both brakes to slow and make the turn to the runway, but the brakes did not respond as he had expected, which he verbalized to the flight instructor. Despite the flight instructor’s subsequent application of left brake and rudder control inputs, the airplane veered to the right and the high wing airplane’s right wing passed through the propeller arc of the low wing airplane resulting in substantial damage to the right wing. The flight instructor onboard the high wing airplane stated that earlier during the taxi, the student pilot had reported that the high wing airplane’s left brake was noticeably “weaker” than the right. The flight instructor advised the student that the airplane typically required more left brake input relative to right brake input, after which the student continued to taxi without further incident. Postaccident examination of the high wing airplane’s braking system revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft · 2
- Registration
- N9137H
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17265966
- Built
- 1976
- Airframe hours
- 2,711.5
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Pilots Flying School LLC
- Registered owner
- Pilots Flying School LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 22, 2024
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- 3N6 · Old Bridge, runway 6, 3,594 × 50 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- 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.
- Registration
- N8454H
- Reported as
- Piper PA28 (181)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-8290050
- Built
- 1981
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Pilots Flying School LLC
- Registered owner
- Pilots Flying School LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 30, 2024
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Equipment
- 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 · 3
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor, aircraft N9137H
- Age
- 21
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 11, 2023
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,475 total · 629 in this make and model · 1,313 as pilot in command · 167 in the last 90 days · 37 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot, aircraft N9137H
- Age
- 25
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Role
- Student pilot, aircraft N8454H
- Age
- 47
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 127 total · 57 in this make and model · 2 as pilot in command · 32 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 34 °F, dew point 12 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.89 inHg
- Observed at
- BLM, 13 nm away
- METAR
- KBLM 141856Z AUTO 01007KT 10SM CLR 01/M11 A3089 RMK AO2 SLP462 T00061106 FZRANO
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 17, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.5 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.