Cessna 172 accident near Croton On Hud., New York, October 14, 1986
On October 14, 1986 at about 2:25 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N6090J, was destroyed in an accident near Croton On Hud., New York. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- October 14, 1986 · about 2:25 pm local time
- Place
- Croton On Hud., New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N6090J · no longer on the register · serial 17273855
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
STUDENT PILOT ADVISED BY MILLVILLE FSS THAT VFR FLIGHT NOT RECOMMENDED DUE TO CURRENT AND FORECAST IFR CONDITIONS THROUGHOUT ROUTE OF FLIGHT. ACFT OBSERVED FLYING NEAR BASE OF LOW CLOUDS AND IN AND OUT OF CLOUDS PRIOR TO CRASHING IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA.
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: 50 hours in all; 50 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,854 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 30, 1986; 109 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: N44 Toms River NJ at 1:00 pm
- Destination: SWF Newburgh NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:45 pm from SWF, 20 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.