Mid-air collision Accident Cessna 172E N3958S,
ASN logo
ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 278889
 
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information. If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.

Date:Wednesday 13 November 2019
Time:14:30 LT
Type:Silhouette image of generic C172 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Cessna 172E
Owner/operator:
Registration: N3958S
MSN: 17271169
Year of manufacture:1978
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Category:Accident
Location:Toms River, New Jersey -   United States of America
Phase: Landing
Nature:Training
Departure airport:Toms River, NJ (MJX)
Destination airport:Toms River, NJ (MJX)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
Two airplanes, a Cessna 172E and a Cessna 172N, collided in midair while in the traffic pattern over the approach end of the runway. The pilot of the Cessna 172E announced his position while on downwind, base, and final approach to landing. The pilot of the Cessna 172N approached the airport and announced his intention on the common traffic advisory frequency to practice a simulated engine-out maneuver followed by a descent to set up for left base leg of the traffic pattern for runway 32. While about 100 ft over the approach end of the runway, the airplanes collided, with the Cessna 172N striking the Cessna 172E from above. Both airplanes landed safely, but an examination revealed that both incurred substantial damage to their right wings. The radio in the Cessna 172N was found tuned to the wrong frequency. It is likely that the pilot of the Cessna 172N thought he switched the radio to the correct frequency and failed to maintain an adequate visual lookout, which resulted in a midair collision on short final. Because his radio was tuned to the wrong frequency, his transmissions were not heard by other pilots in the vicinity of the airport and he was not able to hear other traffic callouts.

Probable Cause: The failure of the Cessna 172N pilot to see and avoid a second airplane while maneuvering in the traffic pattern, which resulted in a midair collision. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the Cessna 172N pilot to tune his radio to the correct traffic advisory frequency for the destination airport.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: ERA20LA034
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 2 years and 3 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB ERA20LA034

Location

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
05-Jun-2022 09:16 ASN Update Bot Added

Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description

The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:

CONNECT WITH US: FSF on social media FSF Facebook FSF Twitter FSF Youtube FSF LinkedIn FSF Instagram

©2024 Flight Safety Foundation

1920 Ballenger Av, 4th Fl.
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
www.FlightSafety.org