Cessna 172K accident near West Milford, New Jersey, July 22, 1996
On July 22, 1996 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172K, registered N46700, was substantially damaged in an accident near West Milford, New Jersey (Greenwood Lake airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure in attaining the proper touchdown point, and his delay in initiating a go-around (aborted landing).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 22, 1996 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- West Milford, New Jersey · Greenwood Lake
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172K · all 172Ks on the register
- Registration
- N46700 · no longer on the register · serial 17257436
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
An airline transport pilot, occuping the right front seat of the airplane, was performing takeoffs and landings to runway 24, with a passenger in the left front seat, and another passenger seated in the rear seat. The airplane landed long, with full flaps, and the pilot decided to abort the landing (go around). The pilot stated that the airplane failed to accelerate, and he retracted 'some' of the flaps. During the aborted landing, the airplane struck trees about 300 feet south of the runway. Examination of the airplane revealed no pre-impact failure of the engine, airframe or flight controls, and the flaps were at approximately 10 degrees. The pilot listed the runway length as 4,000 feet; however, the actual length was 2,734 feet. The Owner's Manual listed a ground roll landing distance of 520 feet for a maximum gross weight airplane under standard conditions, and total takeoff distance of 1,525 feet to clear a 50 foot obstacle.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,000 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 3,000 as pilot in command; 500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,281 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 10, 1996; 85 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4N1 at 10:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 2,734 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:45 pm from SWF, 26 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.