Cessna 172M accident near Medford, New Jersey, December 19, 2000
On December 19, 2000 at about 2:27 am local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N789FW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Medford, New Jersey (Flying W Airport). It was a personal 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 attain the proper touchdown point. Factors included the loss of electrical power, the dark night, and the pilot's lack of night experience.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 19, 2000 · about 2:27 am local time
- Place
- Medford, New Jersey · Flying W Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N789FW · registry record · serial 17264703
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a local night VFR flight, the airplane experienced a complete loss of electrical power, and the pilot returned to his home airport. The pilot was unable to activate the runway lights, but the runway was equipped with VASI approach lighting. The passenger shined a flashlight on the instruments, and the pilot performed a no-flaps approach to a landing halfway down the runway. The airplane overran the runway and struck a ditch. Interpolation of a short field landing distance performance chart from the airplane owner's manual revealed that the distance required to land over a 50-foot obstacle with no flaps deployed was 1,687 feet. The runway was 3,496 feet long, and 75 feet wide. The pilot was issued his pilot certificate on the day before the accident, and had 47 hours of flight experience, 3.5 hours of which was at night. All of his flight experience was in make and model. A test of the airplane's electrical system revealed that the voltage regulator was inoperative.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 48 hours in all; 48 in this make and model; 48 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 11 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 17, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 10, 2000; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming o-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N14 Medford NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 3,496 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Wind: from 250° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 am from WRI, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.