- Date
- December 25, 1989, 22:45 local (Dec 26, 1989, 03:45 UTC)
- Place
- Washington Twp, NJ
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3353ECessna 172N
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report September 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891225057559A
- Case key
- 36520
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 failure of the pilot to properly pre-flight plan and execute the VFR flight. Factor's related to the accident were: the pilot's inexperience; no visual cues (lights) due to dark night conditions; the pilot's disregard of the weather briefing.
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
While in cruise flight at 1000 feet and flying over a dark wooded area, the pilot was attempting to avoid some reported snow showers. The pilot had requested radar advisories through the arsa, but was never picked up on radar. A witness heard the airplane fly very low over his home, located about one mile from the crash site. The airplane hit trees and then collided with the ground. The pilot had approximately 80 hours of total flying time and negligible night flight time. The pilot was briefed about snow and icing condition for his intended route of flight. The airplane was found on 12/27/89 in a wooded area north of atlantic city, NJ.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3353E
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17271514
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Darryl Nitke, doing business as The United States Flying Club
- Departed
- TEB · Teterboro, NJ
- Destination
- ORF · Norfolk, VA
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
- 27
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 80 total · 4 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 220° at 11 knots
- Temperature
- 28 °F, dew point 12 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ACY, 20 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.