Cessna 172P accident near Caldwell, New Jersey, September 19, 2005
On September 19, 2005 at about 5:05 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N64763, was substantially damaged in an accident near Caldwell, New Jersey (Essex County 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 student pilot's failure to maintain directional control while landing. A factor in this accident was the crosswind condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 19, 2005 · about 5:05 pm local time
- Place
- Caldwell, New Jersey · Essex County · 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 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N64763 · no longer on the register · serial 17275620
- 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 conducting her first solo flight, and had completed two landings to runway 27, a 3,721-foot-long, 75-foot-wide, asphalt runway. During her third landing attempt, a wind gust caused the airplane to balloon, and the airplane touched down angled to the left. The airplane rolled off the left side of the runway, and struck a runway and taxiway sign. The student pilot reported 45 hours of total flight experience, which included 20 hours in the same make and model as the accident airplane. Winds reported at the airport about the time of the accident, were variable from 300 to 10 degrees, with the predominate wind from 340 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
Dual student
- Flight time: 45 hours in all; 20 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,886 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Fleet
The flight
- Departed from: CDW Caldwell NJ at 1:00 pm
- Destination: CDW Caldwell NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,721 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from CDW
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.