20150908014649A

On 9/8/2015 at approximately 2045 local time, Mr. Philip clements was the pilot in command of N1401P (lake LA-4-250) and had departed runway 30 at the somserset airport (ksmq) located in new jersey for an unknown destination. VFR conditions predominated the area at the time of departure with light winds.

From the time of departure on 9/8/15, Mr. Clements had not been heard from and could not be reached by family members. On 9/10/15, a concerned family member filed a missing persons report. On this date at 1300 local time, a police helicopter located N1401P in a wooded area approximately 800 feet north northwest of runway 30 at ksmq. The bedminster township police department was dispatched to the scene and found Mr. Clements to be deceased.

9/10/15 - The allentown FSDO was noified at approximately 1330 local time and inspectors art strauss and eric sanford arrived at the accident scene of N1401P by 1530 local time. FAA investigation revealed the following facts below (prior to FAA investigation, the coroner had removed the body of Mr. Clements):

The propeller appeared to be feathered with all three blades being relatively bent and q-tipped. The configuration of the aircraft was observed with the gear extended and the flaps in the takeoff/landing position with the throttle and propeller control in the takeoff position and the mixture in the full lean position. The flight controls were noted with the yoke turned to the left and the rudder pedals were slightly split with right rudder pedal forward of the left pedal. While examining the aircraft, it was also noted that the gear handle was in the up position (with the gear extended) and what appeared to be an emergency extension handle in the emergency/pulled position.

An absence of an odor associated with aviation gasoline (avgas) was noted and there was no evidence of fuel blighting of the vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the wreckage. Additionally, the right and center fuel quantity indicators on the aircraft indicated empty and the left fuel quantity indicator appeared to have less than 1/4 remaining in the tank. The quantity of the center tank could not be verified visually due to the physical location of the tank, however, there was no fuel noted (visually) in either outrigger tank. It was also noted that the main fuel pump was in the off position.

The aircraft appeared to have had a very short glide path (with the appearance that it had plummeted) to its final resting point on the forest floor. This was noted based on the lack of trees/branches being snapped/broken when viewing the forest canopy in any trajectory other than from nearly above the aircraft. The right wing tip was located approximately 40 feet north of the aicraft wreckage and the outboard fuel tank was located approximatey 30' northeast of the wreckage.

It was also noted that the emergency locator transmitter (ELT) was in the "off" position and did not activate.

9/11/15 - NTSB investigators brian rayner (iic) and michael hicks arrived at the accident site by 1030 local time and began their investigation. NTSB findings conurred with above FAA findings. NTSB did confirm that only trace amounts of fuel were visually noted in the center tank.

9/12/15 -On this date, the NTSB had arranged for a crew to remove N1401P from the accident site. The NTSB investigators stated that the propeller will be moved to a facility in Delaware where a hartzell representative will begin an evaluation of the propeller. Additionally, the engine will be moved to williamsport, pa in order to complete testing on the engine.