Amateur-built Glassair II RG accident near Jackson, New Jersey, July 20, 2002
On July 20, 2002 at about 5:45 pm local time, a amateur-built Glassair II RG, registered N79CW, was destroyed in an accident near Jackson, New Jersey (Lakewood Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin and subsequent impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 20, 2002 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Jackson, New Jersey · Lakewood Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Glassair II RG
- Registration
- N79CW · registry record · serial 1
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was observed flying "kind of low" before it spiraled "straight down." It completed three rotations before impacting trees. Post-accident examination revealed no mechanical anomalies. The pilot's operating handbook stated that due to the many variables that affect spin recovery, and the lack of control over those variables, intentional spins were prohibited.
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: 800 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 249 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2002; 11 hours since
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N12 Lakewood NJ at 4:45 pm
- Destination: N12
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 5:55 pm from WRI, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.