Cessna 172RG accident near Pittstown, New Jersey, August 6, 1994
On August 6, 1994 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N9686B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pittstown, New Jersey (Alexandria airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S PREMATURE LIFT OFF AND FAILURE TO ATTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 6, 1994 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pittstown, New Jersey · Alexandria
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N9686B · no longer on the register · serial 172RG0967
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH TREES DURING TAKEOFF FROM ALEXANDRIA AIRPORT ON RUNWAY 8, WHICH IS 2550 FEET LONG. THE PILOT REPORTED THE ENGINE EXPERIENCED A PARTIAL POWER LOSS ON TAKEOFF. HE SAID HE WAS UNABLE TO ESTABLISH A CLIMB AND SETTLED INTO TREES. TWO FAA INSPECTORS OBSERVED THE TAKEOFF AND REPORTED THE AIRPLANE, '...APPEARED TO LIFT OFF EARLY, AT A HIGHER THAN NORMAL PITCH ATTITUDE AND SLOWER THAN NORMAL SPEED. THE AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO MUSH ALONG IN GROUND EFFECT AND NEVER ACCELERATED...ENGINE SOUNDED NORMAL....' IN A WRITTEN REPORT OF POST ACCIDENT EXAMINATION ON THE AIRPLANE AND ENGINE, THE FAA STATED, '...NO ENGINE MALFUNCTIONS COULD BE DETERMINED THAT RESULTED IN A REDUCTION OR LOSS OF POWER TO THE ENGINE....'
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 500 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 425 as pilot in command; 33 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,097 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 97 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 8, 2,550 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 5 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 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.