Cessna 152 accident near Matawan, New Jersey, April 18, 2002
On April 18, 2002 at about 6:20 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N4737L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Matawan, New Jersey (Marlboro Airport). It was an instructional 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate weather evaluation, and excessive airspeed while landing. A factor was a tailwind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 18, 2002 · about 6:20 pm local time
- Place
- Matawan, New Jersey · Marlboro Airport · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N4737L · registry record · serial 15284228
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was landing on runway 09, a 2,156-foot long, 50-foot wide asphalt runway. His approach was fast and with a tailwind. The airplane landed about half way down the runway, and the student pilot was unable to stop the airplane before it overran the runway. The student pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions with the airplane, and the reported wind at an airport about 22 nautical miles north of the accident site was variable at 5 knots.
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
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 65 hours in all; 65 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 65 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,278 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 3, 2001; 121 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,675 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2N8 Matawan NJ at 4:45 pm
- Destination: 2N8 Matawan NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09, 2,156 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 7,500 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:51 pm from EWR, 22 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.