Cessna 172 N677DM
6 October 2025 · West Milford, New Jersey, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 6 October 2025 at about 14:47 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N677DM, operated by Air Fleet Training Systems Inc, was involved in an accident near West Milford, New Jersey, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 14:47
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- West Milford, New Jersey, United States
- Nearest airport
- Greenwood Lake (4N1)
- Coordinates
- 41.1314, -74.3419
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172
- Registration
- N677DM
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 2004
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Air Fleet Training Systems Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Caldwell → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ERA26LA003
People
2 people had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to adequate clearance from obstacles while maneuvering during the landing approach and the instructor pilot’s delayed remedial action, which resulted in the airplane contacting a tree and terrain.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot was performing a practice power off 180o landing in preparation for his commercial check ride with a flight instructor onboard acting as observer. During the base turn to land, the pilot realized he was too high and began to conduct “S” turns to increase descent rate. He then leveled the airplane but was too low and positioned left of the runway centerline. The flight instructor observed that the airplane was close to trees and called for the pilot to conduct a go around. The airplane then contacted the top of a tree and then the ground. Both of the airplane’s wings, the fuselage, and the empennage were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would preclude normal operation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cessna 172 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Aug 2025 | Cessna 172 | Baltimore, Maryland, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 29 Sep 2025 | Cessna 172 | Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 May 2025 | Cessna 172N | Murfreesboro, Tennessee, United States | JKG LLC | No injuries | - |
| 16 Mar 2025 | Cessna 172S | Rusk, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Aug 2025 | Cessna 172 | Air Force Academy, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Nov 2025 | Cessna 172 | Nanaimo, Canada | Sealand Flight Ltd. | Fatal | 1 |
All 12,209 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Sep 2025 | Cirrus SR22 | West Milford, New Jersey, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 Mar 2025 | Cirrus SR22 | Franklin Township, New Jersey, United States | Elite Flight Experience | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 Jan 2025 | Piper PA44 | Fairfield, New Jersey, United States | AA Aero Inc | No injuries | - |
| 28 Dec 2025 | Enstrom 280 | Hammonton, New Jersey, United States | M&M Charter LLC | Fatal | 2 |
| 10 Apr 2025 | Bell 206L-4 | Jersey City, New Jersey, United States | - | Fatal | 6 |
| 16 Sep 2025 | Pipistrel Lsa S R L VIRUS 912 LSA | Lincoln Park, New Jersey, United States | - | No injuries | - |