# Accident 20020908025079A: Piper PA32R301T, Andover, NJ, September 8, 2002 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: September 8, 2002, 18:39 local time - Place: Andover, NJ - Airport: Aeroflex-Andover Airport - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 41.0086° N, 74.7380° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at AEROFLEX/ANDOVER (12N), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.0086&lon=-74.7380&mi=10 - Aircraft: CGKLY (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA32R301T - Reported engine: LYC TIO540S1AD - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 2 - Pilot flight hours: 900 total - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020908025079A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (.19) ON SEPTEMBER 8, 2002, AT 1821 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A CANADIAN REGISTERED PIPER PA 32R-301T, C-GKLY, WAS DESTROYED DURING A FORCED LANDING TO WOODED TERRAIN IN BYRAM TOWNSHIP, NEW JERSEY. THE CERTIFICATED PRIVATE PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER WERE FATALLY INJURED. TWO PASSENGERS WERE SERIOUSLY INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE PERSONAL FLIGHT THAT ORIGINATED AT TETERBORO, NEW JERSEY, AT 1809. A VISUAL FLIGHT RULES FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE FLIGHT DESTINED FOR LONDON, ONTARIO, CANADA, AND CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91. PRELIMINARY FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) TRANSCRIPTS OF AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL (ATC) COMMUNICATIONS REVEALED THAT THE PILOT DECLARED AN EMERGENCY, AT 1817. THE AIRPLANE WAS IN CRUISE FLIGHT AT 3,500 FEET MEAN SEA LEVEL (MSL) WHEN THE PILOT REPORTED A LOSS OF ENGINE OIL PRESSURE. HE SAID HE WOULD ATTEMPT TO REACH THE AEROFLEX-ANDOVER AIRPORT (12N), ANDOVER, NEW JERSEY. THE ATC CONTROLLER ADVISED THE PILOT HE WAS 6 MILES FROM THE AIRPORT AND PROVIDED A HEADING AND RUNWAY INFORMATION TO THE PILOT. TWO RESIDENTS NEAR THE ACCIDENT SITE WITNESSED THE CRASH. THEY SAID THE AIRPLANE MANEUVERED ACROSS THE NEIGHBORHOOD JUST ABOVE THE TREES, AS IT DESCENDED IN A LEVEL ATTITUDE. THE AIRPLANE BANKED SLIGHTLY TO ITS LEFT BEFORE IT DESCENDED INTO TREES. ONE WITNESS SAID THE ENGINE WAS SPUTTERING. THE SECOND WITNESS SAID THAT HE DIDN'T RECALL HEARING THE ENGINE, NOR DID HE RECALL HEARING ANYTHING UNUSUAL. THE AIRPLANE CRASHED IN A WOODED, RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD, 3 MILES EAST OF THE AEROFLEX AIRPORT. THE AIRPLANE WAS EXAMINED AT THE SITE ON SEPTEMBER 9, 2002, AND ALL MAJOR COMPONENTS WERE ACCOUNTED FOR AT THE SCENE. THE AIRPLANE CAME TO REST INVERTED, AND IT WAS WEDGED BETWEEN TWO TREES AND A STORAGE SHED IN THE YARD OF A PRIVATE RESIDENCE. RESCUE WORKERS HAD USED LOGS AND LUMBER TO PROP THE FUSELAGE ON ITS SIDE. THE WRECKAGE PATH WAS ORIENTED ABOUT 245 DEGREES MAGNETIC, AND WAS 110 FEET IN LENGTH. THE INITIAL IMPACT POINT WAS IN A TREE ABOUT 80 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. THE LEFT WING TIP WAS AT THE BASE OF THE TREE BELOW THE INITIAL IMPACT POINT. TREES ALONG THE WRECKAGE PATH WERE BROKEN OFF AT POINTS PROGRESSIVELY CLOSER TO THE GROUND IN THE DIRECTION OF THE MAIN WRECKAGE. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THAT THE ROOF WAS CRUSHED BY IMPACT, AND THAT RESCUE PERSONNEL HAD CUT THE WINDSHIELD POSTS. THE EMPENN AGE AND TAIL SECTION WERE SEPARATED BY IMPACT AFT OF THE CABIN AREA, BUT REMAINED ATTACHED BY WIRES AND CABLES. THE VERTICAL FIN, HORIZONTAL STABILATORS, AND RUDDER WERE DAMAGED BY IMPACT AND WRAPPED AROUND A TREE WHERE THE AIRPLANE CAME TO REST. BOTH WINGS WERE SEPARATED AT THEIR FUSELAGE ATTACH POINT, AND THE LEFT WING WAS CONSUMED BY FIRE. THE INBOARD SECTION OF THE RIGHT WING, WITH THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR ATTACHED, CAME TO REST ADJACENT TO THE MAIN WRECKAGE. THE OUTBOARD SECTION OF THE RIGHT WING WAS ENTANGLED WITH THE LEFT WING, AND CONSUMED BY THE FIRE. AILERON CABLE CONTINUITY COULD NOT BE ESTABLISHED DUE TO BREAKS IN BOTH AILERON CABLES AND THE AILERON BALANCE CABLE. ALL CABLE BREAKS WERE 'BROOMSTRAWED'. EACH AILERON BELLCRANK HAD ITS RESPECTIVE AILERON AND BALANCE CABLE ENDS STILL ATTACHED. BOTH AILERON CABLE ENDS WERE STILL ATTACHED AT THE CONTROL QUADRANT. CONTROL CABLE CONTINUITY WAS ESTABLISHED FROM THE COCKPIT TO THE RUDDER. CONTROL CABLE CONTINUITY COULD NOT BE ESTABLISHED TO THE STABILATOR DUE TO BREAKS IN THE CABLES. HOWEVER, THE CABLES WERE TRACED FROM THE FLIGHT CONTROLS, TO THE INDIVIDUAL BREAKS, AND THEN BACK TO THE STABILATOR. ALL CABLE BREAKS WERE 'BROOMSTRAWED'. THE INTERIOR OF THE AIRPLANE WAS DAMAGED BY FIRE. THE THROTTLE, PROPELLER, AND MIXTURE LEVERS WERE ALL IN THE FULL-FORWARD POSITION. ALL ENGINE INSTRUMENTS INDICATED 'ZERO'. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT THE PROPELLER AND CRANKSHAFT COULD BE ROTATED BY HAND. THE TOP SPARK PLUGS WERE REMOVED, AND PISTON MOVEMENT WAS NOTED IN ALL CYLINDERS AS THE CRANKSHAFT WAS ROTATED. HOWEVER, NO MOVEMENT OF ENGINE ACCESSORIES WAS NOTED. THE ROCKER ARM COVERS WERE REMOVED, AND NO ROCKER ARM MOVEMENT OCCURRED DURING CRANKSHAFT ROTATION. THE ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMP DRIVE COVER WAS REMOVED, AND THE ACCESSORY SECTION WAS ROTATED THROUGH THE DRIVE. THE VACUUM PUMP ROTATED, THE MAGNETO IMPULSE COUPLINGS "SNAPPED", AND ROCKER ARM MOVEMENT WAS NOTED ON ALL CYLINDERS. HOWEVER, DURING ROTATION OF THE ACCESSORY SECTION AND THE VALVETRAIN, THE CRANKSHAFT DID NOT TURN. THE EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE WAS SUSPENDED, AND THE ENGINE WAS SHIPPED TO THE TEXTRON LYCOMING ENGINE FACTORY, WILLIAMSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA, FOR DISASSEMBLY. THE ENGINE EXAMINATION WAS RESUMED AND COMPLETED AT THE TEXTRON LYCOMING FACTORY ON SEPTEMBER 17, 2001. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT THE ZINC-PLATED CRANKSHAFT GEAR ATTACHMENT BOLT WAS FRACTURED, AND THAT THE CRANKSHAFT NO LONGER DROVE THE GEAR. A REVIEW OF THE MANUFACTURER'S SPECIFICATIONS REVEALED THAT A CADMIUM-PLATED BOLT WAS INDICATED FOR THE CRANKSHAFT GEAR APPLICATION. SCANNING ELECTRONIC MICROSCOPE (SEM) EXAMINATION OF THE FRACTURE SURFACES ON THE ZINC-PLATED BOLT REVEALED "INTERGRANULAR SEPARATION DUE TO HYDROGEN-ASSISTED CRACKING". THE PILOT HELD A TRANSPORT CANADA PRIVATE PILOT LICENSE VALID FOR AEROPLANES, NON-HIGH PERFORMANCE, SINGLE ENGINE LAND THAT WAS ISSUED AUGUST 21, 1997. A NIGHT ENDORSEMENT WAS ADDED TO HIS LICENSE JANUARY 12, 1998. THE PILOT'S LOGBOOK WAS RECOVERED, BUT HIS TOTAL FLIGHT EXPERIENCE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE LOGBOOK WAS DESIGNATED LOGBOOK #1 ON JULY 1, 1996. THE LOGBOOK ENTRIES ANNOTATED HIS INITIAL FLIGHT TRAINING, AND A TOTAL OF 165.6 HOURS OF FLIGHT EXPERIENCE UP TO NOVEMBER 28, 1997, WHICH WAS THE DATE OF THE LAST ENTRY. IN NOVEMBER 2001, THE PILOT REPORTED 900 HOURS OF FLIGHT EXPERIENCE TO HIS INSURANCE COMPANY. THE PILOT'S MEDICAL CERTIFICATE WAS ISSUED OCTOBER 30, 1998, WITH A REQUIREMENT THAT THE PILOT MUST WEAR GLASSES. THE PILOT DECLARED 375 HOURS OF FLIGHT EXPERIENCE ON THAT DATE. ACCORDINGTO AN AIR SAFETY INVESTIGATOR WITH THE TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD OF CANADA, THE PILOT'S MEDICAL CERTIFICATE WAS VALID FOR 60 MONTHS FROM THE DATE OF ISSUE IN CANADA, AND VALID FOR 24 MONTHS OUTSIDE OF CANADA. THE AIRPLANE WAS A 1997 PIPER PA 32R-301T AND IT HAD ACCRUED 488.8 HOURS OF TOTAL TIME. A REVIEW OF THE AIRPLANE'S JOURNEY LOG REVEALED THE MOST RECENT ANNUAL INSPECTION WAS COMPLETED FEBRUARY 21, 2002, AT 415.6 AIRCRAFT HOURS. THE AIRPLANE'S TECHNICAL LOGS WERE NOT RECOVERED. THE WEATHER REPORTED AT MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY, 16 MILES SOUTHEAST OF BYRAM TOWNSHIP INCLUDED CLEAR SKIES WITH WIND FROM 200 DEGREES AT 5 KNOTS. (-23) WHILE ENROUTE FROM TETERBORO, NJ, TO ONTARIO, CANADA, THE PILOT REPORTED AN ENGINE OIL PRESSURE PROBLEM TO AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL. SHORTLY AFTER, THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED INTO THE BACK YARD OF A HOUSE IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA IN BYRAM TOWNSHIP, NJ. THE AIRCRAFT CAUGHT FIRE UPON IMPACT. THERE WERE FOUR PERSONS ON BOARD, WITH TWO FATALITIES INCLUDING THE PILOT, AND TWO YOUTHS WITH SERIOUS INJURIES. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OF CANADIAN REGISTRY AND ALL PASSENGERS WERE CANADIAN CITIZENS. ## NTSB investigation None matched to this report by aircraft and date. Search the NTSB's own records: https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/basic-search From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. 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