Cessna 172 accident near West Milford, New Jersey, October 6, 2025
On October 6, 2025 at about 2:47 pm local time, a 2004 Cessna 172, registered N677DM, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near West Milford, New Jersey (Greenwood Lake airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to adequate clearance from obstacles while maneuvering during the landing approach and the instructor pilot’s delayed remedial action, which resulted in the airplane contacting a tree and terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 6, 2025 · about 2:47 pm local time
- Place
- West Milford, New Jersey · Greenwood Lake · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 S, built 2004 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N677DM · registry record · serial 172S9661
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was performing a practice power off 180o landing in preparation for his commercial check ride with a flight instructor onboard acting as observer. During the base turn to land, the pilot realized he was too high and began to conduct “S” turns to increase descent rate. He then leveled the airplane but was too low and positioned left of the runway centerline. The flight instructor observed that the airplane was close to trees and called for the pilot to conduct a go around. The airplane then contacted the top of a tree and then the ground. Both of the airplane’s wings, the fuselage, and the empennage were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would preclude 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 maneuvering
- Miscellaneous/other during maneuvering defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 226 hours in all; 226 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 114 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 22, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,958 hours in all; 2,522 in this make and model; 61 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 2,700 as pilot in command; 2,419 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 26, 2025
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,266.9 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 3, 2025; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,558 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 478 hours total
- Operator: Air Fleet Training Systems INC
The flight
- Departed from: CDW Caldwell NJ at 2:33 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 3,471 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 am from CDW, 15 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KCDW 061553Z VRB03KT 10SM CLR 25/16 A3029 RMK AO2 SLP260 T02500156
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N677DM 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 ERA26LA003.