Piper PA-28-140 accident near Caldwell, New Jersey, November 29, 1992
On November 29, 1992 at about 8:10 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N15262, was destroyed in an accident near Caldwell, New Jersey (Essex County airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INADEQUATE SUPERVISION BY THE INSTRUCTOR, AND HIS DELAY IN INITIATING A GO AROUND.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 29, 1992 · about 8:10 pm local time
- Place
- Caldwell, New Jersey · Essex County
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N15262 · no longer on the register · serial 28-7325028
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE DUAL STUDENT HAD COMPLETED ONE FULL STOP LANDING BEFORE DEPARTING THE PATTERN ENROUTE TO HIS DESTINATION TO PRACTICE SOME TOUCH AND GO LANDINGS. HE SUCCESSFULLY ACCOMPLISHED ONE GO AROUND, AND ONE TOUCH AND GO LANDING; HOWEVER, ON HIS THIRD LANDING AS HE WAS ON FINAL APPROACH TO RUNWAY 22, HE WAS ADVISED BY THE TOWER CONTROLLER TO MAKE A FULL STOP LANDING DUE TO PATTERN SATURATION. AS HE WAS IN THE FLARE/TOUCHDOWN, THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE WAS SLIGHTLY TO THE RIGHT AND NOT ALIGNED WITH THE RUNWAY. THE INSTRUCTOR TOLD THE STUDENT TO MAKE A CORRECTION; THE STUDENT OVERCORRECTED WHICH RESULTED IN THE AIRPLANE VEERING OFF TO THE LEFT OF THE RUNWAY. THE INSTRUCTOR THEN TOOK THE CONTROLS AND INITIATED A GO AROUND, BUT THE AIRPLANE STRUCK TREES, ROTATED 90 DEGREES, AND FELL TO THE GROUND.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,370 hours in all; 1,300 in this make and model; 205 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 2,215 as pilot in command; 1,490 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 21, 1992
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Century Air Flight Academy
The flight
- Departed from: MMU Morristown NJ at 7:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 4,553 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.