Cessna 172 accident near Manville, New Jersey, November 24, 2020
On November 24, 2020 at about 9:07 pm local time, a 1979 Cessna 172, registered N23NJ, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Manville, New Jersey (Central Jersey Regional Airpor 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
The pilot’s failure to maintain a proper glidepath while on approach to the runway, and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action, which resulted in the airplane colliding with a tree on final approach.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 24, 2020 · about 9:07 pm local time
- Place
- Manville, New Jersey · Central Jersey Regional Airpor · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 N, built 1979 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N23NJ · no longer on the register · serial 17273230
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
As the flight instructor and the private pilot approached the runway for landing, the flight instructor told the pilot the airplane was getting too low and that he needed to add power “more than once.” When the pilot did not add sufficient power to correct the descent, she attempted to add it herself, but it was too late, and the airplane’s left wing stuck the tree. The airplane then struck the ground short of the runway, continued forward until it reached the runway lip, and then nosed over. The airplane’s left wing and the fuselage were substantially damaged. The operator reported there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions of 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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,452 hours in all; 371 in this make and model
- Last flight review: October 18, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,102 hours in all; 220 in this make and model
- Last flight review: December 30, 2018
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,055 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 1, 2019; 77.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,559 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O360-A4M (piston); 6,132 hours total
- Operator: Civil Air Patrol
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 7, 3,507 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.33 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from KSMQ, 7 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KSMQ 242053Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 08/M03 A3033 RMK AO2 SLP272 T00831033 53006
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on June 16, 2021. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | NTSB Summary of Email - Flight Instructor | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | NTSB Summary of Email - Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.