Cessna 172 N accident near Williamstown, New Jersey, July 16, 2008
On July 16, 2008 at about 3:04 pm local time, a Cessna 172 N, registered N739UG, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Williamstown, New Jersey (Cross Keys 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 inability to maintain directional control during the attempted aborted landing. Contributing to the severity of the accident were the trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 2008 · about 3:04 pm local time
- Place
- Williamstown, New Jersey · Cross Keys Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 N · all 172 Ns on the register
- Registration
- N739UG · no longer on the register · serial 17270812
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot of the Cessna 172N departed his home airport for a short solo flight to another airport, where he made an uneventful full-stop landing, before returning to his home airport. The student pilot reported that while attempting to land on runway 27, the airplane was "blowing around quite a bit." During the landing attempt, the airplane bounced twice, and the pilot decided to perform a go-around. He applied power, and attempted to maintain 70 knots as he began the climbout; however, the airplane veered left, and "would not climb." The student pilot aborted the takeoff, and the airplane subsequently struck trees adjacent to a taxiway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to its wings and cabin structure during the collision. According to the student pilot's certificated flight instructor (CFI), the winds at the time of the accident were no more than 5 knots, but the windsock was "dancing." The CFI added that the winds were favoring runway 27, but might have switched to favor runway 9 at the time of the accident. The recorded conditions about the time of the accident, at an airport 13 miles northwest of the accident location, were winds from 020 degrees at 8 knots, and a temperature of 31 degrees Celsius. The pilot had accumulated approximately 15 total hours of flight experience, 3 hours of which were conducted solo. The student pilot did not report any mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during landing defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- factor Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Contributed to outcome
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 15 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 3 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,946.1 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 1, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 2,558 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N81 Hamington NJ at 2:30 pm
- Destination: 17N Williamstown NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,500 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 2:54 pm from PHL, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.