Cessna 172M accident near Manville, New Jersey, July 14, 1997
On July 14, 1997 at about 4:39 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N9679V, was destroyed in an accident near Manville, New Jersey (Central Jersey Regional airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing and his failure to maintain adequate airspeed. A factor was the pilot's lack of recent flight experience.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 14, 1997 · about 4:39 pm local time
- Place
- Manville, New Jersey · Central Jersey Regional
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N9679V · no longer on the register · serial 17264459
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane collided with trees during an attempted aborted landing. The pilot stated that he aborted the landing after the airplane bounced twice during the attempted landing. According to the pilot, he struggled to maintain directional control during the landing and the subsequent aborted landing because a left crosswind was pushing the airplane towards trees along the right side of the runway. One witness stated the pitch attitude of the airplane increased to approximately 15 degrees during initial climb. Witnesses said the airplane 'wallowed' and entered the trees nose down. The pilot had flown 4 hours during the previous 12 months, of which 1.7 hours was flown 1 month prior to the accident.
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: 343 hours in all; 162 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,840 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 17, 1996; 53 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 47N
- Destination: 47N
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 3,450 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:45 pm from TTN, 18 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.