Cessna 172N accident near Hamilton, New Jersey, November 21, 2007
On November 21, 2007 at about 5:01 am local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N172MG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hamilton, New Jersey. It was a personal 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 pilot's inadequate fuel consumption calculations which resulted in fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 21, 2007 · about 5:01 am local time
- Place
- Hamilton, New Jersey · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N172MG · no longer on the register · serial 17268088
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the Cessna 172N stated the airplane was in cruise flight when the engine sputtered, and stopped producing power. The pilot then performed a forced landing to trees, resulting in substantial damage, but neither he nor the two passengers were injured. The pilot said he immediately egressed the airplane, checked both fuel tanks, and found both were empty. Examination of the fuel tanks by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed they were intact, and no evidence of fuel, fuel spillage, or fuel odor was identified at the scene. The pilot stated that he departed his home airport with full tanks earlier in the day and recorded 3.2 hours on the hobbs meter. Several stops were made during the day, which involved six takeoffs and climbs to altitude. In a written statement, the pilot added, "Physically checking the fuel tanks for fuel, instead of relying on [the] hobbs meter and an assumed gallons per hour fuel consumption rate, could have prevented this accident."
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: 88 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Avco Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 26N Ocean City NJ
- Destination: 17N Cross Keys NJ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.