Cessna 152 accident near Bargaintown, New Jersey, August 31, 1986
On August 31, 1986 at about 3:41 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N6563L, was destroyed in an accident near Bargaintown, New Jersey. 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
- August 31, 1986 · about 3:41 pm local time
- Place
- Bargaintown, New Jersey
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N6563L · no longer on the register · serial 15284439
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PILOT ON A SUPERVISED SOLO CROSS COUNTRY, DIVERTED FROM HIS PLANNED ROUTE AND WAS OBSERVED FLYING LOW OVER A RESIDENTIAL AREA PERFORMING MANEUVERS AT OR BELOW TREE TOP LEVEL. THE PILOT APPARENTLY LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT. AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THE PILOT RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES.
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
- Flight time: 51 hours in all; 36 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 20 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 28, 1986; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Atlantic City Air Taxi,Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: MIA Millvillecity NJ
- Destination: DNA Bargaintown NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:52 pm from ACY, 10 miles away
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.