Cessna 172 accident near West Milford, New Jersey, July 11, 2002
On July 11, 2002 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N1502E, was substantially damaged in an accident near West Milford, New Jersey (Greenwood Lake airport). It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor's improper recovery from a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 11, 2002 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- West Milford, New Jersey · Greenwood Lake · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N1502E · registry record · serial 17271026
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor over flew the airport, and identified runway 24 as the favored runway. He entered left downwind, selected flaps to 10 degrees, turned base, and then final. On final, the VASI was white over white. The airplane touched down, bounced "high" into the air, and then touched down nosewheel first about 20 feet left of centerline. The airplane "veered" left, exited the runway, and continued approximately 470 feet before coming to a stop on the parallel taxiway. The pilot did not experience any preimpact failures with either the engine or the airframe, and elected not to execute a go-around because of a cliff located at the departure end of the runway. A weather observation taken 8 minutes before the accident about 21 miles to the southeast of the accident site recorded the wind as 030 degrees at 7 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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 720 hours in all; 650 in this make and model; 125 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 620 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 15, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,256 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 16, 2002; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CDW Caldwell NJ at 5:30 pm
- Destination: 4N1 West Milford NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 4,000 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from CDW, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.