History of Flight
On November 11, 2021, at about 1048 eastern standard time, a Cessna 172S, registration N90559, was destroyed in an accident near Hampton Township, New Jersey. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The flight instructor and a private pilot were fatally injured.
The flight departed Essex County Airport (CDW) in Caldwell, New Jersey, around 1029. Data from the Garmin G1000 integrated flight instrument system showed that the airplane climbed to a cruise altitude of about 6,400 ft and maintained a northwesterly heading for the first 17 minutes.
At 10:46:30, the airspeed began to decrease due to a power reduction from about 2,400 rpm to 1,300 rpm. Shortly before 1047, the airplane pitched nose up, reaching a maximum pitch attitude of about 37° at 10:47:04 as the airspeed slowed to 28 knots indicated. At 10:47:10, the airplane reached a left-wing-down bank angle of 102° and a nose-down pitch attitude of 79°. The G1000 recorded the descent rate at over 8,000 ft/minute three seconds later.
Recovery Attempt and Video Evidence
The recorded data indicated that a recovery attempt was initiated between 10:47:10 and 10:47:30. The pitch attitude increased to 32°, the rate of climb rose to over 2,000 ft/minute, and the airplane was wings-level for 20 seconds as power was increased to 2,400 rpm. However, airspeed only momentarily recovered at 10:47:16. The G1000 did not capture load factors for the final seconds of the flight, likely due to buffering between volatile and non-volatile memory.
A surveillance video from a camera located at the Sussex County Sheriff’s Communications Center showed the airplane in a very steep spiral turn, continuing this maneuver until it was out of view.
Wreckage and Impact Examination
The airplane came to rest oriented on a magnetic heading of 330°, with all major components located at the accident site. The fuselage, from the firewall to the empennage, exhibited crush and impact damage. The instrument panel and cockpit were destroyed by impact forces. Both wings remained partially attached, and the ailerons and flaps were impact damaged. Flight control cable continuity was observed from the flight surfaces to the cockpit controls. The horizontal and vertical stabilizers remained attached but displayed impact damage. Both elevators were impact-damaged and partially attached. The rudder remained attached and showed impact damage.
Examination of the engine revealed no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The propeller remained attached and displayed chordwise scoring and aft bending. Tree branches with fresh cuts consistent with propeller slash marks were noted at the accident site.
Medical Information
According to autopsy reports by the County of Morris Medical Examiner, the cause of death for both the flight instructor and the private pilot was multiple injuries, and the manner of death was accident.
Toxicological testing detected THC in the flight instructor’s blood at 1.5 and 9.3 ng/mL. THC-COOH was detected in one blood specimen at 2.7 ng/mL, while another testing facility found the specimen unsuitable for testing. THC and THC-COOH were not detected in vitreous fluid. The flight instructor’s peripheral blood was also positive for caffeine and cotinine. Toxicological testing for the private pilot did not detect any ethanol or tested-for drugs.