Cessna TR182 accident near Seaside Heights, New Jersey, July 13, 1997
On July 13, 1997 at about 6:24 am local time, a Cessna TR182, registered N737PK, was destroyed in an accident near Seaside Heights, New Jersey. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of the pilot to maintain sufficient altitude/clearance above water, while maneuvering over the ocean during a dark moonless night. Related factors were: darkness, the pilot's probable illusion of altitude, spatial disorientation, and lack of instrument experience.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 13, 1997 · about 6:24 am local time
- Place
- Seaside Heights, New Jersey
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TR182 · all TR182s on the register
- Registration
- N737PK · registry record · serial R18200865
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed on a night cross-country flight. The airplane was observed on radar to climb to 2,500 feet and level off. When the airplane reached the coast line, it turned south, paralleled the coast, and began a descent. The airplane descended at 500 feet per minute, until it went below radar coverage at 1,000 feet, about 5 miles north of the accident area. Witnesses observed the airplane flying level, parallel to the coast, about 150 feet above the water, and fly over an amusement park pier. The airplane then turned left away from the coast to the open ocean, then it began another left turn to the north. During the northerly turn, it descended, struck the water, and sank about 1/2 mile off shore in the Atlantic Ocean, about 0230 EDT. The wreckage was not recovered. Nautical twilight was at 0426, and the moon was 20 degrees below the horizon. The pilot was not instrument rated, and 4 hours of dual night were documented on a 1 year old flight examination form.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 140 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,143 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 10, 1997; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-L3C5D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Century Air, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: LDJ Linden NJ at 6:02 am
- Destination: Atlantic City NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:16 am from BLM, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.