Cessna 172N accident near Vincentown, New Jersey, May 5, 1985
On May 5, 1985 at about 3:40 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N4680G, was destroyed in an accident near Vincentown, New Jersey (Red Lion airport). It was a personal 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 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
- May 5, 1985 · about 3:40 pm local time
- Place
- Vincentown, New Jersey · Red Lion
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N4680G · no longer on the register · serial 17273306
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREE TOPS DURING A LNDG IN GUSTY WINDS. THE PLT SAID A GUST OF WIND LIFTED THE RT WING DURING THE FLARE. AS THE ACFT VEERED TO THE LEFT THE PLT SAID HE CONSIDERED A GO-AROUND BUT THERE WAS NOT ROOM ENOUGH TO CLEAR THE TREES. THE LEFT WING HIT THE TREES AND THE ACFT FELL INTO THE 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
- Flight time: 5 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 16, 1984; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 2,900 ft by 45 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 11:40 am
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.