ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 41385
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| Date: | Sunday 13 July 1997 |
| Time: | 02:24 LT |
| Type: |  Cessna TR182 Turbo Skylane RG |
| Owner/operator: | Century Air, Inc. |
| Registration: | N737PK |
| MSN: | R18200865 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2143 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-540-L3C5D |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Seaside Heights, NJ -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Linden, NJ (KLDJ) |
| Atlantic City, NJ | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot departed on a night cross-country flight. The airplane was observed on radar to climb to 2,500 feet and level off. When the airplane reached the coast line, it turned south, paralleled the coast, and began a descent. The airplane descended at 500 feet per minute, until it went below radar coverage at 1,000 feet, about 5 miles north of the accident area. Witnesses observed the airplane flying level, parallel to the coast, about 150 feet above the water, and fly over an amusement park pier. The airplane then turned left away from the coast to the open ocean, then it began another left turn to the north. During the northerly turn, it descended, struck the water, and sank about 1/2 mile off shore in the Atlantic Ocean, about 0230 EDT. The wreckage was not recovered. Nautical twilight was at 0426, and the moon was 20 degrees below the horizon. The pilot was not instrument rated, and 4 hours of dual night were documented on a 1 year old flight examination form.
Probable Cause: failure of the pilot to maintain sufficient altitude/clearance above water, while maneuvering over the ocean during a dark moonless night. Related factors were: darkness, the pilot's probable illusion of altitude, spatial disorientation, and lack of instrument experience.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB NYC97FA144
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 08-Apr-2024 14:13 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Accident report] |
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