What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On October 29, 2019 at approximately 1058 edst, a Cessna 414A N959MJ, was destroyed in an accident in Colonia, NJ. The aircraft had been cleared by air traffic control for the gps-a approach into the kldj (Linden, NJ) airport. The pilot, sole occupant of the aircraft, was fatally injured. There were no other injuries involved. On site investigation was conducted. Upon arrival at the accident site, the aircraft had impacted a single resident structure that was fully engulfed in flames. Adjacent single resident structures on each side of the impacted building also received fire and debris damage. First responders continued to suppress the fire for several hours.
A survey of the site revealed the aircraft first impacted tall trees in the adjacent property to the east of the impact location at a steep angle and then impacted the residence. The direction of travel was to the west (which is the direction of the missed approach segment of the gps-a ldj approach procedure, but approximately 1.4 NM prior to the missed approach point). Initially the only aircraft parts that were visible were a portion of the vertical stabilizer/rudder and a segment of an aileron. Once the fire was sufficiently suppressed, debris removal began. The majority of the aircraft was severely fire damaged, and the only recognizable aircraft part was the forward cabin area and center portion of the wing spar. This section was inverted (approximately at a 210 degree left roll) in the basement of the residential structure. The structure had two living floors above the basement that had burned down to the basement level.
Available local video captured the aircraft in a steep descent angle and rolling to the left. A witness located in his car on the street near the site reported the aircraft as ?banked left and very loud? With the engines ?very loud and screaming? And the ?landing gear was up?. As described, this witness was located within 150 feet of the aircraft.
Once the engines were recovered, no indication of pre-impact failure was indicated and both propellers had indications of chordwise scratching and torsional twisting.
Review of air traffic radar and ADS-B data show the aircraft on the final approach segment, level at the minimum descent altitude (mda) at approximately 80 knots ground speed. The aircraft then continued to slow towards 60 knots ground speed as it descended and radar and voice contact was lost.
Weather reports at kldj indicated a 700 foot overcast sky with 10 miles visibility just prior to loss of radar contact and a 700 foot overcast with 2 miles visibility just after loss of radar contact.
Aircraft records have not been located to verify times and current hours in aircraft. A pilot logbook was located but due to fire and water damage, times could not be verified.
This report may be amended as additional information dictates.
Pilot total flight time as indicated collected from spas data.
As the FAA filed it
ON OCTOBER 29, 2019 AT APPROXIMATELY 1058 EDST, A CESSNA 414A N959MJ, WAS DESTROYED IN AN ACCIDENT IN COLONIA, NJ. THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN CLEARED BY AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL FOR THE GPS-A APPROACH INTO THE KLDJ (LINDEN, NJ) AIRPORT. THE PILOT, SOLE OCCUPANT OF THE AIRCRAFT, WAS FATALLY INJURED. THERE WERE NO OTHER INJURIES INVOLVED. ON SITE INVESTIGATION WAS CONDUCTED. UPON ARRIVAL AT THE ACCIDENT SITE, THE AIRCRAFT HAD IMPACTED A SINGLE RESIDENT STRUCTURE THAT WAS FULLY ENGULFED IN FLAMES. ADJACENT SINGLE RESIDENT STRUCTURES ON EACH SIDE OF THE IMPACTED BUILDING ALSO RECEIVED FIRE AND DEBRIS DAMAGE. FIRST RESPONDERS CONTINUED TO SUPPRESS THE FIRE FOR SEVERAL HOURS.
A SURVEY OF THE SITE REVEALED THE AIRCRAFT FIRST IMPACTED TALL TREES IN THE ADJACENT PROPERTY TO THE EAST OF THE IMPACT LOCATION AT A STEEP ANGLE AND THEN IMPACTED THE RESIDENCE. THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL WAS TO THE WEST (WHICH IS THE DIRECTION OF THE MISSED APPROACH SEGMENT OF THE GPS-A LDJ APPROACH PROCEDURE, BUT APPROXIMATELY 1.4 NM PRIOR TO THE MISSED APPROACH POINT). INITIALLY THE ONLY AIRCRAFT PARTS THAT WERE VISIBLE WERE A PORTION OF THE VERTICAL STABILIZER/RUDDER AND A SEGMENT OF AN AILERON. ONCE THE FIRE WAS SUFFICIENTLY SUPPRESSED, DEBRIS REMOVAL BEGAN. THE MAJORITY OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS SEVERELY FIRE DAMAGED, AND THE ONLY RECOGNIZABLE AIRCRAFT PART WAS THE FORWARD CABIN AREA AND CENTER PORTION OF THE WING SPAR. THIS SECTION WAS INVERTED (APPROXIMATELY AT A 210 DEGREE LEFT ROLL) IN THE BASEMENT OF THE RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURE. THE STRUCTURE HAD TWO LIVING FLOORS ABOVE THE BASEMENT THAT HAD BURNED DOWN TO THE BASEMENT LEVEL.
AVAILABLE LOCAL VIDEO CAPTURED THE AIRCRAFT IN A STEEP DESCENT ANGLE AND ROLLING TO THE LEFT. A WITNESS LOCATED IN HIS CAR ON THE STREET NEAR THE SITE REPORTED THE AIRCRAFT AS ?BANKED LEFT AND VERY LOUD? WITH THE ENGINES ?VERY LOUD AND SCREAMING? AND THE ?LANDING GEAR WAS UP?. AS DESCRIBED, THIS WITNESS WAS LOCATED WITHIN 150 FEET OF THE AIRCRAFT.
ONCE THE ENGINES WERE RECOVERED, NO INDICATION OF PRE-IMPACT FAILURE WAS INDICATED AND BOTH PROPELLERS HAD INDICATIONS OF CHORDWISE SCRATCHING AND TORSIONAL TWISTING.
REVIEW OF AIR TRAFFIC RADAR AND ADS-B DATA SHOW THE AIRCRAFT ON THE FINAL APPROACH SEGMENT, LEVEL AT THE MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE (MDA) AT APPROXIMATELY 80 KNOTS GROUND SPEED. THE AIRCRAFT THEN CONTINUED TO SLOW TOWARDS 60 KNOTS GROUND SPEED AS IT DESCENDED AND RADAR AND VOICE CONTACT WAS LOST.
WEATHER REPORTS AT KLDJ INDICATED A 700 FOOT OVERCAST SKY WITH 10 MILES VISIBILITY JUST PRIOR TO LOSS OF RADAR CONTACT AND A 700 FOOT OVERCAST WITH 2 MILES VISIBILITY JUST AFTER LOSS OF RADAR CONTACT.
AIRCRAFT RECORDS HAVE NOT BEEN LOCATED TO VERIFY TIMES AND CURRENT HOURS IN AIRCRAFT. A PILOT LOGBOOK WAS LOCATED BUT DUE TO FIRE AND WATER DAMAGE, TIMES COULD NOT BE VERIFIED.
THIS REPORT MAY BE AMENDED AS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION DICTATES.
PILOT TOTAL FLIGHT TIME AS INDICATED COLLECTED FROM SPAS DATA.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.