What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On June 10, 2011, at approximately 1437 eastern daylight time (EDT), a Piper 24-250, N8233P, registered to and operated by a private individual, as a 14 CFR part 91, personal flight, collided with trees and the ground during a forced landing following the loss of engine power, 3.2 miles south of the chester Connecticut airport (snc). Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The airline transport pilot was acting as pilot in command at the time and received fatal injuries. The other occupant of the aircraft was a private pilot and survived the accident with serious injuries as a result of the impact. The airplane was substantially damaged as a result of the accident. The flight originated from the brookhaven airport (hwv) in shirley new york with a destination of the windham airport (ijd) in willimantic Connecticut. The pilot in command was heard by a local radio scanner operator and a C-130 crew to transmit on emergency frequency that he was 6.5 miles away from chester airport at 1600 feet and that oil pressure was dropping and that he was going to land in the woods. Search and rescue operations were initiated by the C-130 crew and another charter captain to locate the aircraft in the woods via ELT signal and site. The aircraft was unable to be found by the C-130 crew because of the heavy foliage. The aircraft came to rest in a wooded area approximately one quarter mile from large hay fields. Fire rescue crews and Connecticut state police found the aircraft with the two pilots inside the aircraft. According to several witnesses close to the crash site, they heard an unusually low flying aircraft that almost sounded like a helicopter. The engine was heard skipping or missing on compression. One witness stated it was a definite motor issue and the engine was heard sputtering during the flyover. No fuel vapor or smoke was seen coming from the aircraft by two of the witnesses. One eyewitness on the shoreline of the Connecticut coast said she saw the aircraft fly over for approximately 30 seconds. She stated that the aircraft was unusually low and sounded like the aircraft engine was going to quit at anytime. She saw a trail of gray white smoke coming from the back of the tail section of the plane. No smoke or vapor was seen from the wings. The plane was straight and level at the time and going from the coast toward the chester airport in CT.
As the FAA filed it
ON JUNE 10, 2011, AT APPROXIMATELY 1437 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME (EDT), A PIPER 24-250, N8233P, REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY A PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL, AS A 14 CFR PART 91, PERSONAL FLIGHT, COLLIDED WITH TREES AND THE GROUND DURING A FORCED LANDING FOLLOWING THE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER, 3.2 MILES SOUTH OF THE CHESTER CONNECTICUT AIRPORT (SNC). VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT WAS ACTING AS PILOT IN COMMAND AT THE TIME AND RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES. THE OTHER OCCUPANT OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS A PRIVATE PILOT AND SURVIVED THE ACCIDENT WITH SERIOUS INJURIES AS A RESULT OF THE IMPACT. THE AIRPLANE WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED AS A RESULT OF THE ACCIDENT.THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM THE BROOKHAVEN AIRPORT (HWV) IN SHIRLEY NEW YORK WITH A DESTINATION OF THE WINDHAM AIRPORT (IJD) IN WILLIMANTIC CONNECTICUT. THE PILOT IN COMMAND WAS HEARD BY A LOCAL RADIO SCANNER OPERATOR AND A C-130 CREW TO TRANSMIT ON EMERGENCY FREQUENCY THAT HE WAS 6.5 MILES AWAY FROM CHESTER AIRPORT AT 1600 FEET AND THAT OIL PRESSURE WAS DROPPING AND THAT HE WAS GOING TO LAND IN THE WOODS. SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATIONS WERE INITIATED BY THE C-130 CREW AND ANOTHER CHARTER CAPTAIN TO LOCATE THE AIRCRAFT IN THE WOODS VIA ELT SIGNAL AND SITE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS UNABLE TO BE FOUND BY THE C-130 CREW BECAUSE OF THE HEAVY FOLIAGE. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST IN A WOODED AREA APPROXIMATELY ONE QUARTER MILE FROM LARGE HAY FIELDS. FIRE RESCUE CREWS AND CONNECTICUT STATE POLICE FOUND THE AIRCRAFT WITH THE TWO PILOTS INSIDE THE AIRCRAFT.ACCORDING TO SEVERAL WITNESSES CLOSE TO THE CRASH SITE, THEY HEARD AN UNUSUALLY LOW FLYING AIRCRAFT THAT ALMOST SOUNDED LIKE A HELICOPTER. THE ENGINE WAS HEARD SKIPPING OR MISSING ON COMPRESSION. ONE WITNESS STATED IT WAS A DEFINITE MOTOR ISSUE AND THE ENGINE WAS HEARD SPUTTERING DURING THE FLYOVER. NO FUEL VAPOR OR SMOKE WAS SEEN COMING FROM THE AIRCRAFT BY TWO OF THE WITNESSES. ONE EYEWITNESS ON THE SHORELINE OF THE CONNECTICUT COAST SAID SHE SAW THE AIRCRAFT FLY OVER FOR APPROXIMATELY 30 SECONDS. SHE STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS UNUSUALLY LOW AND SOUNDED LIKE THE AIRCRAFT ENGINE WAS GOING TO QUIT AT ANYTIME. SHE SAW A TRAIL OF GRAY WHITE SMOKE COMING FROM THE BACK OF THE TAIL SECTION OF THE PLANE. NO SMOKE OR VAPOR WAS SEEN FROM THE WINGS. THE PLANE WAS STRAIGHT AND LEVEL AT THE TIME AND GOING FROM THE COAST TOWARD THE CHESTER AIRPORT IN CT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.