Cessna 172R N178AF

Summary

On 27 December 2008 at about 20:30 local time, a Cessna 172R registered N178AF, operated by American Flyers, was involved in an accident near Morristown, New Jersey, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 December 2008 at 20:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Morristown, New Jersey, United States

Nearest airport

Morristown Municipal (MMU)

Coordinates

40.7994, -74.4147

Aircraft

Cessna 172R

Registration

N178AF

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

American Flyers

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Newburgh → Morristown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA09CA110

Nobody was injured.

The flight instructor's failure to execute a missed approach when insufficient runway remained for landing. Contributing to the accident were the low ceiling and visibility conditions.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The instructor and his pilot-rated student were conducting instrument work; reported weather included a vertical visibility of 200 feet and 1/4 mile visibility in fog. After the first instrument landing system approach with the student at the controls, the runway was not visually acquired at the decision height and a missed approach was performed. The instructor took the controls for the second approach and asked the student to monitor the radios and look for the runway environment. At 400 feet above ground level, the instructor saw the runway below him, but the airplane was "slightly high on the glideslope and a little fast..." He elected to attempt a landing, reducing the throttle to idle and adding full flaps. The airplane touched down long and the instructor was unable to stop the airplane on the remaining runway. The airplane collided with a snow bank, resulting in structural damage to the fuselage.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.