Cessna 172SP accident near Flemington, New Jersey, February 19, 2003
On February 19, 2003 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172SP, registered N197ME, was substantially damaged in an accident near Flemington, New Jersey. It was a personal 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 manufacturer's improper assembly of the accessory drive section of the engine.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 19, 2003 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Flemington, New Jersey · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172SP · all 172SPs on the register
- Registration
- N197ME · registry record
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After climbing to 2,000 feet msl, the engine lost all power. Unable to complete a restart, the pilot executed a forced landing to an open field. The airplane touched down, rolled approximately 200 feet, and then the nose wheel collapsed. An examination of the engine revealed the accessory drive gear dowel was broken, the locking plate was in place, and the accessory drive gear bolt was loose. Examination of the bolt, locking plate, dowel, and gear revealed no material issues associated with the loss of engine power. Damage to the gear dowel was consistent with the accessory drive gear bolt being undertorqued. The engine was manufactured approximately 2 years before the accident, and had accumulated approximately 656 hours of flight time. In addition, the accessory drive gear bolt had not been removed since being installed by the manufacturer.
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: 336 hours in all; 16 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 656 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 30, 2002; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,558 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N51 Readington NJ at 2:30 pm
- Destination: N51
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.28 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from SMQ, 27 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.
Other NTSB records under N197ME the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.