Cessna T337 accident near Linden, New Jersey, February 24, 2017
On February 24, 2017 at about 11:45 pm local time, a 1976 Cessna T337, registered N685V, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Linden, New Jersey (Linden airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s abrupt maneuver to avoid birds during short final approach, which resulted in a hard, bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 24, 2017 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Linden, New Jersey · Linden · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T337 G, built 1976 · all T337s on the register
- Registration
- N685V · registry record · serial P3370265
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, during approach, he pushed the yoke forward to avoid a flock of birds in his flightpath, which resulted in an "increased and abnormal rate of descent." He was then unable to arrest the descent, and the "main landing gear made very hard contact with the runway." The airplane bounced, the nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane came to rest nose down. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall. The Federal Aviation Administration Airport Facility Diagram page for the destination airport in part states: "Birds on and invof [in vicinity of] arpt."
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
- Miscellaneous/other during approach (VFR pattern final)
- Abrupt maneuver during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
- Abnormal runway contact during landing
- Hard landing during landing
- Landing gear collapse during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Attain/maintain not possible
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) › Ability to respond/compensate
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 525 hours in all; 165 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 424 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 6, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,030.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 4,700 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Continental TSIO-360-CB5 (piston); 124 hours total
- Engine 2: Continental TSIO-360-CB6B (piston); 1,181 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LDJ Linden NJ at 11:25 pm
- Destination: LDJ Linden NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 4,140 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 190° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.85 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
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 GAA17CA162.