Cessna 152 accident near Groucester Twsp, New Jersey, November 7, 1987
On November 7, 1987 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N6385M, was destroyed in an accident near Groucester Twsp, New Jersey (Watson'S Airstrip airport). It was an instructional 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
- November 7, 1987 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Groucester Twsp, New Jersey · Watson'S Airstrip
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N6385M · no longer on the register · serial 15284702
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PILOT WAS ON A CROSS COUNTRY TRAINING FLIGHT. HE STATED THAT THE VOR WAS INOPERATIVE BUT HE RECOGNIZED THE VOR BY A ROAD THAT PASSED NEAR IT. THE PILOT BECAME DISORIENTED AND WAS NOT ABLE TO LOCATE A CHECKPOINT. HE DESCENDED TO 1500 FEET, SPOTTED A FIELD AND DECIDED TO LAND. HOWEVER ON LANDING HE CAME IN TOO FAST AND THE AIRCRAFT RAN OFF THE END OF THE RUNWAY AND COLLIDED WITH A TELEPHONE POLE AND A TREE.
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: 44 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 11 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BLM Belmar NJ
- Destination: 17N Cross Keys NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 2,600 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 27 knots
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°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.
Other NTSB records under N6385M 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.