Cessna 172N accident near West Milford, New Jersey, June 20, 2010
On June 20, 2010 at about 8:05 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N738QZ, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near West Milford, New Jersey (Greenwood Lake Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s control interference which resulted in a landing with a higher than normal airspeed, and the commercial pilot’s failure to initiate a go-around to avoid the runway overrun.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 20, 2010 · about 8:05 pm local time
- Place
- West Milford, New Jersey · Greenwood Lake Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N738QZ · no longer on the register · serial 17270167
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot was performing a forward slip maneuver during landing when the student pilot-rated passenger pushed on the control yoke which resulted in a descent that reached an indicated airspeed of 100 knots. The student pilot did not relinquish the controls to the commercial pilot until the airplane touched down. The pilot was unable to stop the airplane on the remaining runway. It overran the paved surface, went through a perimeter fence, and came to rest on a rocky incline. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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 (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Incorrect use/operation
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action selection › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Attain/maintain not possible
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 623 hours in all; 435 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 519 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 22, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,155 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 17, 2010; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4N1 West Milford NJ at 7:55 pm
- Destination: 4N1 West Milford NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 3,471 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.86 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from FWN, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.