- Date
- October 6, 2025, 10:47 local (14:47 UTC)
- Place
- West Milford, NJ
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N677DMCessna 172
- Defining event
- Maneuvering: Miscellaneous/other
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- Case key
- 201785
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 adequate clearance from obstacles while maneuvering during the landing approach and the instructor pilot’s delayed remedial action, which resulted in the airplane contacting a tree and terrain.
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
The pilot was performing a practice power off 180o landing in preparation for his commercial check ride with a flight instructor onboard acting as observer. During the base turn to land, the pilot realized he was too high and began to conduct “S” turns to increase descent rate. He then leveled the airplane but was too low and positioned left of the runway centerline. The flight instructor observed that the airplane was close to trees and called for the pilot to conduct a go around. The airplane then contacted the top of a tree and then the ground. Both of the airplane’s wings, the fuselage, and the empennage were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would preclude normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N677DM
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (S)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S9661
- Built
- 2004
- Airframe hours
- 10,266.9
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Air Fleet Training Systems Inc
- Registered owner
- Aa-Aero Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 3, 2025 · 11 hours before
- Departed
- CDW · Caldwell, NJ
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- 4N1 · Greenwood Lake, runway 24, 3,471 × 60 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
- Pilot
- Age
- 22
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 22, 2024
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 226 total · 226 in this make and model · 114 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 52
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 26, 2025
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 2,958 total · 2,522 in this make and model · 2,700 as pilot in command · 61 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.29 inHg
- Observed at
- CDW, 15 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KCDW 061553Z VRB03KT 10SM CLR 25/16 A3029 RMK AO2 SLP260 T02500156
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 4, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.1 MB in all.
Other investigations on N677DM · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.