Cessna 172H accident near Liberty Corner, New Jersey, April 4, 1983
On April 4, 1983, a Cessna 172H, registered N2574L, was destroyed in an accident near Liberty Corner, New Jersey (Essex CO. 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 instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 4, 1983
- Place
- Liberty Corner, New Jersey · Essex CO.
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172H · all 172Hs on the register
- Registration
- N2574L · no longer on the register · serial 17255774
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE PLT AND PASSENGER ARRIVED AT THE AIRPORT AT APPROXIMATELY 1820 EST, REQUESTED A SPECIAL VFR CLEARANCE AND WHEN THAT CLEARANCE COULD NOT BE APPROVED REQUESTED AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN. ATTEMPTS TO ACTIVATE THE IFR FLIGHT PLAN WERE UNSUCCESSUFUL DUE TO COMMUNICATION LINE PROBLEMS. THE PLT SUBSEQUENTLY DECIDED NOT TO FILE THE FLIGHT PLAN AND STATED THAT BASED ON FORECASTS OF IMPROVING CONDITIONS TO THE WEST AND VISIBILITIES OF THREE TO FIVE MILES FROMTHE TOWER SHE PLANNED TO PROCEED VFR FOLLOWING THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY TO THE SOUTH AND THEN TO THE WEST. THE PLT STATED SHE FLEW BELOW THE CLOUD BASES, WHICH SHE ESTIMATED WERE AT 800 TO 900 FEET. PRIOR TO REACHING INTERSTATE 22 AND WHILE IN STRAIGHT AND LEVEL FLIGHT THE ACFT UNEXPECTEDLY IMPACTED TREES.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,660 hours in all; 14 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 1,449 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,656 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 1983; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300D6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CDW Caldwell NJ
- Destination: 42N Myerstown PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 080° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 300 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 11:46 pm from MMU, 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.