# Accident 20021108037819A: Snias SA341G, East Hampton, NY, November 8, 2002

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: November 8, 2002, 23:15 local time
- Place: East Hampton, NY
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.8886° N, 72.2694° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.8886&lon=-72.2694&mi=10
- Aircraft: N911XW (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: SNIAS SA341G
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 100 total, 12 in this make and model, 12 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB IAD03LA012](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD03LA012) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20021108037819A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) NOVEMBER 9, 2002 WHILE PERFORMING ACCIDENT STANDBY DUTY, INSPECTOR ROSSI RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE COM CENTER TO INFORM HER OF A MISSING AIRCRAFT AND SPOTTED DEBRIS WASHING UP ON THE BEACH IN AMAGANSETT, NY. THE INFORMATION GIVEN AT THIS TIME WAS THE FOLLOWING: AIRCRAFT N911XW WAS REPORTED MISSING BY FLIGHT SERVICE AT 1311 LOCAL; INTENDED FLIGHT WAS FROM LONG ISLAND MACARTHUR AIRPORT (ISP) TO EAST HAMPTON AIRPORT (HTO); IT WAS BELIEVED TO BE A GAZELLE HELICOPTER; POINT OF CONTACT FOR THE AIRCRAFT DEBRIS WAS SGT. PAYNE OF THE EAST HAMPTON POLICE. US COAST GUARD HAD INITIATED A SEARCH FOR ANY SURVIVORS. NOVEMBER 10, 2002 INSPECTORS ROSSI, MAURO AND GILLESSEN INSPECTED THE DEBRIS HELD AT THE EAST HAMPTON POLICE HEADQUARTERS. IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS N911XW BY DATA PLATES FOUND ON DIFFERENT PIECES OF THE AIRCRAFT. A BACK PACK AND SMALL BAG WAS WASHED TO SHORE CONTAINING PERSONAL ARTIFACTS WHICH SEEMED TO IDENTIFY THE PILOT AS WILLIAM M. SMITHERS. IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT WILLIAM SMITHERS WAS THE PIC OF N911XW BY PETER BORNEMAN. NOVEMBER 12, 200W INSPECTORS ROSSI AND GILLISSEN INTERVIEWED MR. PETER BORNEMAN. HE INFORMED US THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT INSURED, THE PAINT WASNOT COMPLETE YET, THE INTERIOR WAS NOT COMPLETE YET, AND THEY HAD NOT RECEIVED OPERATING LIMITATIONS OR AN AIRWORTHINESS CERTIFICATE. HE STATED THAT THIS FLIGHT MAY HAVE BEEN MR. SMITHERS THIRD FLIGHT IN THE AIRCRAFT. HE SAID THAT MR. SMITHERS WIFE WAS CALLING HIM ALL MORNING, THAT HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN HOME BY THEN. MR. BORNEMAN THEN CONTACTED THE SUFFOLK POLICE DEPARTMENT AND ISP TOWER AND REPORTED THE OVERDUE AIRCRAFT. NOVEMBER 13, 2002 INSPECTOR ROSSI RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE US COAST GUARD TO REPORT THAT A TRAWLER BOAT, THE MISS SANDY, HAD PULLED UP THE TRANSMISSION, ROTOR BLADES AND A HUB AT COORDINATES 405319N AND 07216.10W. NOVEMBER 15, 2002 INSPECTOR GILLISSEN TOOK PHOTOS OF THE WRECKAGE THAT WAS RETRIEVED BY THE MISS SANDY, AND INSPECTED WHAT HE COULD. NOVEMBER 19, 2002 MP3 FILES OF MR. SMITHERS TALKING TO ISP GROUND AND ISP TOWER WERE RECEIVED AT THE FARMINGDALE FSDO. THERE WAS NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY ON THE AUDIO. THE RADAR PLOT WAS RECEIVED AT THE FSDO ON NOVEMBER 21, 2002. IT REVEALED THAT N911XW WENT OFF THE RADAR AT 0422 UTC WITH AN ALTITUDE OF 800 FEET AND AN AIRSPEED OF 153 KNOTS. DURING THE LAST MINUTE, N911XW WAS DESCENDING AT 1100 FEET PER MINUTE. NOVEMBER 21, 2002 ALL EVIDENCE OF FACTS AND CIRCUMSTANCES WERE COLLECTED AND DOCUMENTED IN THE ACCIDENT FILE FOR THIS CASE. IT WAS FOUND THAT MR. SMITHERS WAS FLYING N911XW WITHOUT A VALID AIRWORTHINESS CERTIFICATE. THE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT WILL BE DETERMINED BY THE NTSB. BRIAN RAYNER IS THE NTSB IIC FOR THIS CASE. AN 8020-23 WILL BE PREPARED AND PUT INTO THE FILE.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB IAD03LA012](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD03LA012), Nov 9, 2002: Westland Helicopters Gazelle AH-MK1 (N911XW), East Hampton, NY, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate altitude, which resulted in an in-flight collision with water. Factors included the pilot's decision to fly over water on a moonless night, his lack of…

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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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