Cessna 172N accident near Lincoln Park, New Jersey, April 16, 1997
On April 16, 1997 at about 8:40 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N1405E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lincoln Park, New Jersey (Lincoln Park 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 student pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing which resulted in a hard landing, collapsed nose gear, loss of directional control, and subsequent nose over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 16, 1997 · about 8:40 pm local time
- Place
- Lincoln Park, New Jersey · Lincoln Park Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N1405E · no longer on the register · serial 17270958
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot landed hard, bounced, and then landed on the nose wheel. The nose wheel collapsed, directional control was not maintained, and the airplane veered off the side of the runway and nosed over. The student was on his fifth solo flight..
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: 33 hours in all; 33 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,918 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 1, 1997; 43 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Lincoln Park Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: N07 at 8:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 2,992 ft by 45 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from CDW, 5 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.