Cessna 172N accident near Andover, New Jersey, February 20, 1986
On February 20, 1986 at about 9:47 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N739SP, was destroyed in an accident near Andover, New Jersey (Aeroflex - Andover airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- February 20, 1986 · about 9:47 pm local time
- Place
- Andover, New Jersey · Aeroflex - Andover
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N739SP · no longer on the register · serial 17270771
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PLT HAD DIFFICULTY LANDING THE ACFT AND INSTRUCTOR HAD DEVOTED TRAINING SESSION TO LANDING TECHNIQUE. THE DIFFICULTY WAS REPORTED TO BE A TENDENCY TO OVER-FLARE PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN. SATISFIED THE STUDENT HAD CORRECTED HIS PROBLEM AREA, THE THIRD SUPERVISED SOLO FLIGHT WAS ALLOWED. AFTER ONE SUCCESSFUL TAKEOFF AND LANDING THE STUDENT ACKNOWLEDGED THAT HE WOULD LIKE TO TAKEOFF AND LAND ONE MORE TIME. UPON LANDING, THE ACFT OVER-FLARED AND A GO-AROUND WAS ATTEMPTED. THE STUDENT ENTERED A DEPARTURE STALL/SPIN OFF THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY AND COLLIDED VERTICALLY WITH A FROZEN LAKE BED. THE STUDENT WAS A PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN AND HAD BEEN WORKING STEADILY FOR THREE DAYS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. TOX REPORT INDICATED POSITIVE FOR COCAINE. COCAINE WAS ALSO FOUND IN STUDENT'S PANT POCKET.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 16 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,337 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 22, 1985; 97 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 2,004 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.