Cessna 172G accident near Ocean City, New Jersey, May 20, 2003
On May 20, 2003 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172G, registered N3985L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ocean City, New Jersey (Ocean City Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during an aborted landing. A factor was a crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 20, 2003 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Ocean City, New Jersey · Ocean City Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172G · all 172Gs on the register
- Registration
- N3985L · no longer on the register · serial 17254154
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While landing on runway 06, the airplane encountered turbulence. The pilot attempted to abort the landing; however, the airplane veered right, and traveled off the right side of the runway. The airplane then struck a runway sign and berm, before coming to rest in a swamp at the departure end of the runway. The reported wind near the accident site, about the same time as the accident, was from 140 degrees at 11 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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 2,200 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 5,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 14, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,083 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 31, 2002; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 19N Berlin NJ at 6:00 pm
- Destination: 26N Ocean City NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6, 2,973 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.25 inHg
- Observation at 6:54 pm from ACY, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.