Cessna 172RG accident near Bridgeport, New Jersey, May 25, 1986
On May 25, 1986 at about 7:09 pm local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N4608V, was destroyed in an accident near Bridgeport, New Jersey (Bridgeport airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were seriously injured. 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 25, 1986 · about 7:09 pm local time
- Place
- Bridgeport, New Jersey · Bridgeport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N4608V · no longer on the register · serial 0339
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE C-172RG ACCORDING TO WITNESS RPTS STATE THAT THE ACFT WAS EMMITTING BLACKSMOKE AND BACKFIRING WHILE ON THE T/O ROLL. THE BACKFIRING CONTINUED, THE ACFT BECAME AIRBORNE, BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO CLIMB OR MAINTAIN ALT OR FLYING SPEED. ACFT CRASHED ON A PUBLIC ROADWAY AND CAUGHT ON FIRE. ALL FOUR PERSONS ON BOARD SUFFERED SERIOUS INJURIES. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 715 hours in all; 19 in this make and model; 137 in the last 90 days; 640 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: N83 Bridgeport NJ at 7:04 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 2,200 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N4608V the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.