Cessna 172 N23NJ accident near Manville, New Jersey

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain a proper glidepath while on approach to the runway, and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action, which resulted in the airplane colliding with a tree on final approach.

NTSB analysis

As the flight instructor and the private pilot approached the runway for landing, the flight instructor told the pilot the airplane was getting too low and that he needed to add power “more than once.” When the pilot did not add sufficient power to correct the descent, she attempted to add it herself, but it was too late, and the airplane’s left wing stuck the tree. The airplane then struck the ground short of the runway, continued forward until it reached the runway lip, and then nosed over. The airplane’s left wing and the fuselage were substantially damaged. The operator reported there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA21LA055 for the full record.