Cessna 401B accident near Caldwell, New Jersey, October 2, 1999
On October 2, 1999 at about 11:51 am local time, a Cessna 401B, registered N88VA, was destroyed in an accident near Caldwell, New Jersey (Essex County Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were seriously injured and 5 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight, which resulted in an attempted takeoff with the pitot covers installed. An additional cause was the pilot's delayed decision to abort the takeoff, while factors included the misleading airspeed indications, and the proximity of the drainage ravine to the end of the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 2, 1999 · about 11:51 am local time
- Place
- Caldwell, New Jersey · Essex County Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were seriously injured and 5 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 401B · all 401Bs on the register
- Registration
- N88VA · registry record · serial 401B-0118
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot aborted the takeoff run after the airspeed indication rose to about 80 miles per hour, but would not go any higher. He could not stop the airplane, before it went off the end of the runway, over a berm, and into a drainage ravine. When the airplane was pulled out of the ravine, both pitot covers were still in place, around the pitot tubes. The runway was 4,553 feet long, calculated takeoff distance was about 2,525 feet, and calculated accelerate-stop distance was approximately 2,950 feet. Tire skid marks started around 3,600 feet from the approach end of the runway, and led to the wreckage. About a year earlier, another airplane was destroyed when it ran into the same ravine, which was located about 200 feet from the end of the runway.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 738 hours in all; 118 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 623 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,686 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 2, 1999; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-E (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CDW at 11:51 am
- Destination: SBN South Bend IN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 22, 4,553 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 am from CDW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 | 4 |
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.