Cessna 172 accident near West Milford, New Jersey, May 31, 1999
On May 31, 1999 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N1223F, was substantially damaged in an accident near West Milford, New Jersey (Greenwood Lake airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructors failure to maintain climb airspeed during the go-around, which degraded climb performance, resulting in an in-flight collision with terrain. Factors in the accident were, delay in executing a go-around, retracting the flaps to 10 degrees prematurely, and high density altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 31, 1999 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- West Milford, New Jersey · Greenwood Lake
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N1223F · no longer on the register · serial 17272976
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
No anomalies were noticed during the engine run-up checks. After flying for about an hour, the instructor with two students entered the traffic pattern to conduct a normal approach, and landing. The wind sock was fully extended, and indicating winds out of the south. At 5 to 10 feet above the runway, the instructor felt the student could not complete the landing safely. The instructor took the controls, and executed a go-around. He applied full power, and retracted the flaps to 10 degrees. After retracting the flaps, the instructor felt the airplane was 'sluggish,' and not climbing, so he lowered the nose to maintain airspeed. An 'overwhelming' gust then pushed the airplane off the right side of the runway, and it descended into rough terrain. The stall warning horn was not on during the go-around, but the instructor felt the airplane was close to stalling. After the accident, the Engine was run on the airframe, and no pre impact failures were identified. The airplane's information manual calls for 20 degrees of flaps initially during a go around, and 55 knots of airspeed. Stall speed was listed as 44 knot with flaps down and power off.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 370 hours in all; 94 in this make and model; 132 in the last 90 days; 78 in the last 30 days; 298 as pilot in command; 68 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,889 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 19, 1999; 15 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: TEB Teterboro NJ at 9:30 pm
- Destination: 4N1 West Milford NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 4,000 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:51 pm from EWR, 161 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.