Cessna 172R accident near Morristown, New Jersey, December 27, 2008
On December 27, 2008 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172R, registered N178AF, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Morristown, New Jersey (Morristown Municipal 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 instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor's failure to execute a missed approach when insufficient runway remained for landing. Contributing to the accident were the low ceiling and visibility conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 27, 2008 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Morristown, New Jersey · Morristown Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172R · all 172Rs on the register
- Registration
- N178AF · registry record · serial 17281177
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The instructor and his pilot-rated student were conducting instrument work; reported weather included a vertical visibility of 200 feet and 1/4 mile visibility in fog. After the first instrument landing system approach with the student at the controls, the runway was not visually acquired at the decision height and a missed approach was performed. The instructor took the controls for the second approach and asked the student to monitor the radios and look for the runway environment. At 400 feet above ground level, the instructor saw the runway below him, but the airplane was "slightly high on the glideslope and a little fast..." He elected to attempt a landing, reducing the throttle to idle and adding full flaps. The airplane touched down long and the instructor was unable to stop the airplane on the remaining runway. The airplane collided with a snow bank, resulting in structural damage to the fuselage.
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
What happened, in order
- Landing area overshoot during landing defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Low ceiling › Decision related to condition
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Low visibility › Decision related to condition
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action selection › Pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,140 hours in all; 1,084 in this make and model; 1,050 as pilot in command; 800 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 15, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 5, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SWF Newburgh NY at 7:45 pm
- Destination: MMU Morristown NJ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 23, 5,999 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
- Sky: vv at 200 ft
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.23 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from MMU
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 2 |
Other NTSB records under N178AF the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA09CA110.