Cessna 172R accident near Armonk, New York, April 23, 2005
On April 23, 2005 at about 7:17 pm local time, a Cessna 172R, registered N61AF, was destroyed in an accident near Armonk, New York (Westchester County airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor's failure to maintain the proper altitude\clearance during the approach, which resulted in an in-flight collision with trees. Factors in this accident were low ceilings, fog, and gusty wind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 23, 2005 · about 7:17 pm local time
- Place
- Armonk, New York · Westchester County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172R · all 172Rs on the register
- Registration
- N61AF · registry record · serial 17281047
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor was conducting an instrument training flight with a student pilot. At 1513:45, the airplane was on the ILS Runway 16 approach, when the pilot contacted the air traffic control tower. The airplane was subsequently cleared to land, and the controller also informed the flight instructor that the pilot of a landing Cessna Citation reported that he "broke out" at 200 feet. At 1517:25, the controller observed the airplane's radar target at 900 feet. He then issued the pilot a low altitude alert and provided the current altimeter setting. The pilot acknowledged the transmission, read back the altimeter setting, and reported that he was at an altitude of 800 feet. There were no further communications from the pilot, and the airplane's last radar target was observed at 1517:39, at an altitude of 600 feet. The airplane impacted trees and came to rest in a wooded area, about 1 mile from the approach end of runway 16. Examination of the airplane did not reveal any pre-impact malfunctions. A weather observation taken at the airport around the time of the accident, reported: wind from 190 degrees at 12 knots, gusting to 16 knots; visibility 1/2 statue mile in fog; ceiling 200 feet overcast; temperature and dew point both 12 degrees C; altimeter 29.51 in/hg. Review of the approach diagram for the ILS Runway 16 approach revealed a decision height of 639 feet msl (200 feet agl), and an approach minimum of 1,800 feet runway visual range (RVR), or 1/2-mile visibility. The flight instructor had accumulated about 815 hours of total flight experience. He had logged about 80 hours of flight time as "actual instrument conditions," which included about 7 hours of flight time, and 6 instrument landing system approaches during the preceding 90 days. The student pilot had accumulated about 32 hours of total flight experience.
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 815 hours in all; 613 in this make and model; 101 in the last 90 days; 36 in the last 30 days; 722 as pilot in command; 426 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 32 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 0 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,193 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 1, 2005; 72 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: ALB Albany NY at 5:48 pm
- Destination: HPN White Plains NY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 16, 6,548 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 12 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 0.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.51 inHg
- Observation at 6:56 pm from HPN, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.